How to Live When You Could Be Dead cover art

How to Live When You Could Be Dead

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How to Live When You Could Be Dead

By: Deborah James
Narrated by: Gaby Roslin
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

I'm alive when I should be dead. In another movie, I missed the sliding door and departed this wondrous life long ago. Like so many others, I've had to learn to live not knowing if I have a tomorrow, because, statistically, I shouldn't have. At the age of 35, I was blindsided by incurable bowel cancer—I was given a less than 8% chance of surviving five years. More than five years later, my only option is to live in the now and to value one day at a time.

So how do you flip your mind from a negative spiral into realistic and rebellious hope? How do you stop focusing on the why and realise that 'why not me' is just as valid a question? How we learn to respond to any given situation empowers us or destroys us. We have the ability in our minds to dictate our own outcomes—bad or good—and with the right skills and approach, we can be the master of our lives.

How to Live When You Could Be Dead will show you how. It will awaken you to question your life as if you didn't have a tomorrow and live it in the way you want to today. It will show you how to build a positive mindset and, through this, invite you to think about what you could do if you believed you could do anything you want.

Ebury, a division of Penguin Random House, will pay £3 from the sale of each copy of How to Live When You Could Be Dead by Deborah James sold in the UK to Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK.

Cancer Research UK is a charity registered in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247).

©2022 Deborah James (P)2022 Penguin Audio
Alternative & Complementary Medicine Cancer Personal Development Personal Success Physical Illness & Disease Inspiring United Kingdom Health

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Critic reviews

"Deborah James has captured the heart of the nation." (The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge @KensingtonRoyal)

"Brave, bright, beautiful." (Lorraine Kelly)

"Deborah's ability to find positivity in the darkest of places is an inspiration to us all." (Davina McCall)

All stars
Most relevant
I laughed and cried whilst listening to this wonderful but oh so sad story which was read so beautifully by Gaby x

Rebellious hope

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Incredibly moving and a compelling listen but, despite some good tips in there to help you through difficult times, it didn't quite hit the mark for me. I went into the book hoping to find... Hope. I did, and that was the overarching message that I took away, to always be hopeful and make the most of every day. What I didn't come away with was anything new that I hadn't heard before; nothing was a revelation. It was a very interesting listen though and I would recommend it to anyone, if only just to understand what a remarkable woman Deborah was. Her ability to hope in the face of a terminal illness, and her focus on gratitude, has given me a kick up the backside for sure!

Moving and insightful

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A great book, from an inspiring lady. What a legacy, so sad but a good lesson not to take things for granted and to leave each second of each day!

Inspiring

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Loved this, I found her words inspiring. This was definitely the pick me up that I didn’t realise I needed.

Heart wrenching but so inspiring

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my mum died just before my 9th birthday back in 1979. From that point on, I promised to live my life to it's full in horror of her. years later at 52 I am a victim of parental alienation and in a job where the environment is so toxic due to narcissistic employers. I lost my way in life, the fire and drive I once had, the power that came from my mums death, was gone. I needed to get it back, so I went looking for answers, that is when this book popped up. I had only to listen to a small part to know I had found what I was looking for. Although this book deals with cancer, At some point listening to it, and I am sure others will find the same. It was not so much a book on cancer, but living, living our lives how we should be living them. There are so much gold in this book, that I dont know where to begin. It made me sad, and cry and I can tell you making a 52 year old guy cry is not easy. This book gave me back what I needed, thank you from the bottom of my heart,thank you for telling us your story within these pages.

I was looking for a book to put me back on track,

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