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Hampshire cancer patient is number 1 on Amazon best seller list with children's book




'Writing this makes me feel like I have done something useful'

Nancy Carter-Bradley and her daughter Freya
Nancy Carter-Bradley and her daughter Freya

“I WANTED to leave a legacy,” said Nancy Carter-Bradley, whose self-published children’s book The Toadstool that wanted to stay has already raised more than £5,000 for the Brain Tumour Charity.

Mrs Carter-Bradley, who lives in Penwood, was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2005 and was in remission for 14 years until last October, when she was told that the cancer had returned.

Mrs Carter-Bradley, aged 44, said: “I was in the middle of a course of chemotherapy treatment when coronavirus took hold and the country went into lockdown.

“I was told that my treatment was going to be put on hold, which was a really scary prospect. Fortunately, through a combination of factors, I was able to continue with the chemotherapy and am just coming to the end of the cycle of 12.”

Mrs Carter-Bradley explains that the treatment she is having is “taking the heat” out of the tumour. “It is not curable, but at least it can give me some extra time.”

Although the return of the cancer is a huge blow, Mrs Carter-Bradley is determined to make the most of her time and to do some good. She already has an Instagram account documenting her journey – @avocadofairy – and has amassed more than 10,000 followers.

“I have long had the idea of writing a children’s book,” she said. “I’m a big kid myself at heart and where I live you can walk into the woods and see so many toadstools – my friends rather think I’m obsessed with red and white spotted things.

"A toadstool had to be at the heart of whatever I wrote and so The Toadstool that wanted to stay came about. It’s a gentle introduction about the circle of life to children aged seven and under and how the little toadstool, although it couldn’t hang around forever, would still be talked about and leave some kind of legacy.”

Mrs Carter-Bradley’s daughter Freya came on board too to illustrate the book, which includes a colouring page for children – or adults – at the end.

“Freya is studying medicine, but she’s also a really good artist,” explained Mrs Carter-Bradley. “I had some fairly clear ideas of how I wanted the book to look and explained them to her, then she made it happen, adding her own little touches and I couldn’t be prouder.”

The book has only been available for a few weeks and has already topped the daily Amazon bestseller list on several occasions and Mrs Carter-Bradley already has ideas for another book up her sleeve.

She said: “I am an anxious optimist. It’s not easy living with this diagnosis, but I am determined to make the most of whatever time I have left.

“Writing this book makes me feel like I have done something useful and I remain hopeful, determined and positive.”

All proceeds from The Toadstool that wanted to stay go to the Brain Tumour Charity and the book is available to buy from Amazon, price £15 – visit www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08DSYSPKZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_fsqpFbD95HSX0

To find out more about the Brain Tumour Charity, visit www.thebraintumourcharity.org



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