Simply put, Coming To Life is about me. More specifically, it tells the story of my life with a little known terminal illness - Motor Neurone Disease (MND). My comfort zone suddenly disintegrated one overcast Friday morning in July 1997 - my watershed day. Now, each moment of each day is precious as I seek meaning and enjoyment from a life which, according to the doctors will be measured in years rather than decades. It's all there in Coming To Life.

The book is not just about MND. It's about coming to terms with dying and, in the process, experiencing an awakening to life. I probably could have given a chronological account, but that would have been too easy. A narrative where time is the measure makes it too tempting to sweep the tough issues under the carpet. Rather, I decided to tell my story by placing each aspect of my challenge separately under the microscope. Coping with a steadily deteriorating body; learning to deal with some fairly intense emotions; asking some soul-searching questions like - Why me? - all of these issues are dealt with separately. Marriage and parenthood are also considered to give the reader a sense of how these important roles have changed and how my family and I have been affected by the challenge of MND. And I ask the question I wish everyone would ask - What will I leave behind?

When I wrote Coming To Life, I realised the importance of not holding anything back. This book then, is a collection of anecdotes, observations, opinions and experiences, all meshed together into something someone once called a journey. It's warts and all. I've exposed my soul and parts of my anatomy that, in the interests of public health, I normally keep covered. It's not been easy. But it has been necessary. I hope that many will resonate with the creature who is the subject of this book.

We all have a terminal condition- it's called LIFE. In so many ways the observations, the experiences and most importantly, the lessons this book contains are applicable to all.

Some extracts from the book: