Mortal Musings: Waiting for Dawn

Book excerpt: For many of us, cancer is an inescapable reality. It is estimated that one in two people will be affected by the disease during their life. ‘Mortal Musings: Waiting for Dawn’ is a moving, thought-provoking and intensely personal account of one man’s journey. In October 2016 my indigestion turned out to be cancer. A few days later, the news got worse when it was discovered my cancer was not only rare and incurable, but it was Stage IV and I likely had only a few months to live. A death sentence like that naturally makes you think about your own mortality and what lies beyond. But I was not about to give in to the inevitable. I refused to believe in a no-win scenario. People say it is always darkest before the dawn, so I set about waiting for the sunrise. Being impatient, I did everything I could to hurry it along. Mortal Musings is about my fight -- physically, mentally and spiritually. It is about hope, faith and denial, how the cancer impacted my life and the lives of those around me, my treatments and the emotional struggle I endured. But it also delves into speculation about what lies ahead, beyond this mortal coil. That I am still here, three years later, is a miracle. That I am now cancer free is even more amazing. As Jimmy Valvano said, “don’t give up, don’t ever give up.” And I didn’t. **** “A must-read for anyone affected by this life-changing disease.” – Bethan White, Fade “A powerful testimony of how all of us must accept our own mortality.” – Richard Denham, Arthur: Shadow of a God