Dr Alistair McApline's Moving Memoir Prescribes Ice Cream for Life's Tough Times

Photo Credit: Tyler Leigh Vivier

Dr Alistair McApline forged an inspiring career in children’s palliative care but it has not been without its struggles; he got through it with the help of ice cream, heavy metal and asking for help. He shares all in his new memoir.

South Africa (09 June 2024) – Dr Alastair McAlpine is one of Good Things Guy’s favourite doctors so when we heard he had released a Memoir, we couldn’t wait to read it. Never did we imagine the book would take us on a rollercoaster of emotions as we read through some of his most defining moments in life nor did we realise just how much ice cream we needed to get through it!

Alastair McAlpine is a paediatric infectious disease and palliative care physician who was born and raised in Johannesburg. His passions include preventing infections in kids, listening to noisy bands and encouraging his colleagues to prescribe ice cream more frequently.

We knew that reading the memoir of a palliative paediatrician would have its moments, but surprisingly, Dr McAlpine doesn’t cover that subject until the very end. He builds up to the moment where he finds his path in the medical field.

He starts the book when he starts his first day of medical internship at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto. Having studied in Cape Town, he was ready for a change and a challenge because Bara is notorious for making or breaking a doctor. He gives insight into how the hospital runs and why it is the way it is.

During his medical internship, Dr McAlpine gets to experience all the medical arms with the goal of finding a field that speaks to his interests. While his focus is on medical pursuits, he naturally shares his interest in girls, dating and life lessons learned along the way towards growing up and being a recovering alcoholic.

At times in the book, we could feel Alaistair’s shame, anguish, pride, and joy. His writing style evokes and stirs your emotions. It is safe to say the read felt like a rollercoaster, but in the end, his story inspires and helps give one a different outlook on life—one being that sometimes all you need is ice cream! But also, sometimes you need to ask for help.

He ends his memoir discussing the X post (formally Twitter) that went viral and placed him firmly into the hearts of South Africans and people worldwide. His focus was sharing all the things that mattered most to the children receiving palliative care. The thread is inspiring to this day and we love that it has been permanently preserved in the moving memoir. You can read the original thread here.

You won’t need tissues for the book, but an ice cream or two stashed in the freezer may just help you get through it!

The Back of the Book

In 2018, Alastair McAlpine, a palliative paediatrician in Cape Town, decided to share some inspiring thoughts from the children in his care. He posted: ‘I asked some of my terminal paediatric palliative care patients what they had enjoyed in life, and what gave it meaning. Kids can be so wise, y’know. Here are some of the responses.’

Their simple yet profound answers went viral, found their way into homes across the world and touched the hearts of millions. Yet it was never McAlpine’s plan to find himself in this position. Challenged from all sides by crippling addiction, a brutal internship and a deadly HIV pandemic, McAlpine’s journey was very nearly derailed.

Prescription: Ice Cream is his engaging memoir about the highs and lows of working as a medical doctor in South Africa and how, with a little help from metal music and ice cream, he was able to struggle on, find meaning in the chaos and inspire others.

If you would like to find out more about this book, you can do so via the website here. It is available at all major literary retailers and online.

Interested in more proudly South African books? You can find more of our book reviews here.