Magazine article & 3rd extract

Hi,

Below is an article about Del's Story that is being published in a magazine in the near future. It contains an extract from the book.

Thanks for reading.

Del & Jerry

Former England schoolboy international footballer Del Deanus was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in February 2008 aged 34 years-old. Together with his childhood friend Jerry Lyons he is writing a book about his football career, living with his illness and exploring whether there is a link between playing certain sports and developing MND.

Starts

Del Deanus was an outstanding young football player representing an England schoolboy team that starred Ryan Giggs and played for Tottenham Hotspur for four years.

When he was diagnosed with MND he wanted to find out as much as possible about the disease. However, he was frustrated to find there were not many books available and decided to do something about it.

Del, who lives in Welwyn, in Hertfordshire, said: “After the initial hammer blow of being told I was terminally ill I searched everywhere for books which would tell me more about MND. I wanted to understand what was happening to me and what to expect in the future.

“I only found one book which was written by an American man who has the illness. To be honest I couldn’t relate to it and that got me thinking about writing a book about my own experiences with MND. It’s not just a book about the illness and how my wife Emma and I are coping it will also tell my life story.

“I want to raise funds for the MND Association through the sale and sponsorship of the book when it’s eventually published. Also I want to raise awareness about the disease and I hope that it will be of help to people who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness.”

Since his diagnosis Del has got married, travelled coast to coast across America and compiled a wish list of things to do before he dies including visiting the Lake District and attending the Grand National race meeting at Aintree.

Jerry, who is a former journalist said: “I met Del more than 25 years ago when we were in the same primary school football team and we’ve been very good mates ever since. Del’s an inspiration to many people who know him and his courage in the face of this illness is remarkable.

“Far from being a story about a young man dying from a devastating disease Del wants it to inspire people to make the most of right now and live life to the full. We are aiming to have the book finished by the end of August this year.”

Here is an extract from Del’s book.

Being told you have a terminal illness is shattering but it does not need to be the end of your life. I have done more in the year after my diagnosis than in my 34 years prior to it.

It’s clichéd but you really do have to make the most of now. My first month after diagnosis was a daily fight to keep up the will to carry on. There were times when I wanted to drown my sorrows with alcohol and just get so drunk I’d forget everything.

I didn’t though as this would have left me feeling even worse the next day and could have been the start of a downward spiral that would speed up my death.

I knew how important it was to stick to a good routine rather than a bad one. It sounds obvious but I had to constantly remind myself.

Coming to terms with a terminal diagnosis, whether it is MND, cancer or any other life sentence is incredibly hard. There’s no getting away from the initial pain, tears, fear and depression.
Up to three times a day I’d feel absolutely terrible but you have to keep fighting, hanging in there like a boxer caught on the ropes.

At times I’d be angry. What had I done to deserve this? Then I would feel sad and depressed. There were lots of tears. Being around people helped, but it was when I was on my own that the darkness really fell and engulfed me.

Certain things got me through those dark, desperate spells. The first was probably acceptance. It does take time for the enormity of what you have been told to sink in but you have to accept it. There’s no point being in denial. Eventually, to coin a phrase from one on my doctors I decided to make the most of the bad hand fate had dealt me.

Secondly don’t be afraid to grieve, to cry, to scream. There’s no point going around pretending to be strong. You have just received the worse news possible so don’t hold it in. I originally thought that I couldn’t show I’m upset and kept up a strong appearance to others but looking back I didn’t have to or need to.

If you are feeling something, let it out just don’t bottle it up.

It’s really important to take the positives out of your situation. There really is always someone worse off out there. I think of Jade Goody. The poor girl was dead within a few months of her diagnosis leaving behind her two little boys. I really felt for her and her family.

My situation has at least given me more time with my loved ones. Having been given a life expectancy of two to five years it’s important that I and others in a similar circumstance make the most of those years. They could be the best ever.

Del and Jerry are very keen to hear from potential publishers of the book. All profits from the sale and sponsorship of the book will go to the MND Association.
To find out more about the book visit Facebook group Del’s Story and blog site.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=78641065667&ref=mf
http://delsstory.blogspot.com/