Dear Cancer, Love Victoria: A Mum’s Diary of Hope will be published later this month
BBC journalist Victoria Derbyshire will release a candid book about her cancer journey after being diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago.
Published by Trapeez, Dear Cancer, Love Victoria: A Mum’s Diary of Hope is a frank account of how the broadcaster dealt with her diagnosis and treatment. It will be published later this month.
In 2015 Derbyshire, who has spent 20 years as a journalist, found herself at the heart of the news after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She decided to live out her treatment and recovery in the spotlight in a series of video diaries in a bid to encourage others to seek diagnosis and help. The diaries have now reached 13 million people.
Derbyshire’s account – described as “moving, wonderfully heart-warming and ultimately uplifting” – explains how she dealt with that diagnosis, sharing her day-to-day experiences of life following it and coming to terms with her future. It will cover how she felt from the moment she woke up to find her right breast had collapsed, to telling her partner and children, through to mastectomy and chemotherapy, from wearing a wig to work and hiding it from her colleagues to the relief and joy of finishing treatment.
Derbyshire said: “This is a frank account of my breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, as recorded in my diary each night. Initially my world came crashing down – but this is a positive book. I hope it will give you courage and strength – whether you’ve been diagnosed yourself or are supporting someone who’s going through it.”
Trapeze publisher Anna Valentine bought world rights to the book from Felicity Blunt at Curtis Brown Group Limited to published in hardback and e-book.
Valentine said: “This book moved me to tears in the first few pages and I knew instantly that we had to publish it. But I need to add that it wasn’t in a maudlin way. I was touched by the beautiful simplicity with which Victoria wrote about her experiences and I felt I understood even in a tiny way, how someone feels, how the thought process works, when they get ‘that’ news.”
She added: “Victoria’s story is well-known already, but in this book, she brings a whole new dimension, a very real one, where I felt I could be reading about my own mother, friend or sister. Brilliantly compelling and, most importantly, brilliantly written, it’s real honour to bring Victoria to Trapeze.”
We’ve gathered up some fantastic cancer books to help you with every aspect of your cancer journey: information about cancer types and side effects, stories from other cancer patients, and activity books to keep you occupied during treatment and recovery.