The Leukaemia Diaries started life as just that, a diary detailing my journey from just before being diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), to the scary "I’m going to die" bit, to the joys of chemotherapy, getting back to work and beyond. However, with every edit and every conversation with a fellow sufferer, it transformed into what it is now, which is an emotional, honest, and heartfelt account that not only aims to engage, entertain, and inform, but also comfort and inspire. It will give family and friends an idea of what their loved ones are going through and what’s going through their mind at such a traumatic and terrifying time.

My hope is that sufferers of CML and cancer in general see that they are not as desperately alone as they sometimes think they are and that there are others going through the same experiences and thinking the same thoughts. I want them to know that there is no right or wrong way to act or behave, because we all deal with the possibility of death in our own unique way. My hope is that my little book can inspire and lift them out of a dark place, because I’ve always believed that a smile can bring light into the darkest of times and that laughter can heal.

About the Author

I grew up on the cobbled streets of Manchester...well...when I say on, I meant close by...in a house. I spent most of my childhood watching sci-fi/fantasy movies and fishing for newts and sticklebacks from the local canal. I took it for granted that I would go to university, meet and marry the girl of my dreams, settle down to have a family, and live happily ever after...oh, and, of course, become an astronaut with magical powers.

Things were going to plan: I graduated with a degree in physics, met and married the girl of my dreams, and had two beautiful girls. Unfortunately, while I was living happily ever after...I was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia. It was the most traumatic event of my life...well...almost...there was that time I accidentally recorded over my copy of Forbidden Planet.

Instead of letting it overwhelm me, I decided to come to a mutually beneficial agreement with my leukaemia. I said he could stay as long as I could lead a normal life. This unique event awakened the writer in me and gave me the inspiration to write The Leukaemia Diaries as well as four more books currently in progress; three non-fiction and one fiction...so...watch this space!"