Not the Best Year of My Life

€ 2,76

On 2 November 2018 John Tomlinson was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer. He was only 48 and had no obvious symptoms. His first reaction was to think that at last something had happened that was worth writing about, and so he started this diary.

This is not the typical tragic tale of struggle and melancholy, it's more the story of how cancer becomes just another part of everyday life and something else you cope with.

The diagnosis was unexpected, luckily spotted during a check-up following a minor viral infection. The tumour was already at Stage 3, fairly large and invading the region around it, possibly even metastasising to other parts of the body; but it was treatable, although that treatment would be lengthy, invasive and exhausting, and "normal life" was not going to be the same again.

John was lucky, his cancer was unlikely to be fatal, and he had a first-class health service on his doorstep. Also being (reasonably) young and being (reasonably) fit, he stood as good a chance as anyone of getting through it. The physical side of cancer treatment is tough at times, but the mental side worse. Dealing with the loss of confidence and loss of physical ability that a major disease and invasive treatment brings is harder to cope with than healing the scars of major surgery.

This would have been a better book if John had suffered more and perhaps taken it all a lot more seriously. He seemed more bothered by Cancer Volunteers visiting during chemotherapy sessions and interrupting his reading than he was by the actual chemotherapy. Let's be honest here, trying to see how long he could maintain his sense of humour was never likely to get made into a movie. Oh well, at least half the profits are going to Macmillan Cancer Support Charity, so even if this book isn't a dramatic page-turner or a tragic tale of suffering and death, it's not a total waste of time.