I recall telling Andrew Marsh , fellow author, about Steve's story (Nipples to Kneecaps - to die or not to die with cancer) way back in the early 2000's when we both attended Swanwick Writers School. Little did I know how relevant that story would be when a few years later in 2009 his wife Leslie was told she had cancer. Andrew writes brilliantly about their journey in this blog PURPLE ANDREW'S BLOG including him supporting Leslie during her chemotherapy hair loss stage by also having his lovely long locks of hair shaved off! Today November marks year 2 of remission and now 7 and a half years since the operation. Leslie you are an inspiration to many - well done! As well as Purple Andres's

POSTS POSTED ON NOVEMBER 24, 2017 •Review• Nipples to Kneecaps- To die or not to die with cancer by Mandy Brown Wow! I don’t think I have ever felt so connected to a book before, a book that clasped my heart strings and wouldn’t let go. Maybe I felt so drawn in, wanting to know more and more every time I finished a chapter because we too have a family member fighting his own battle. Author Mandy Brown contacted me after a lovely friend recommended me and my blog. I don’t believe in coincidences, I believe every happens for a reason as it’s meant to be. Since reading this book I believe Mandy was meant to find me, to ask me to read her book and empower me with hope and inspiration that maybe

Nipples to Kneecaps. To die or not to die with cancer. A welcome to Mandy Brown who joins me today to talk about her new book. Today on my purpleandrew blog I am delighted to be interviewing Mandy Brown about her new book, “Nipples to Kneecaps, to die or not to die with cancer.” This truly inspirational books tells the story of her husband Steve’s diagnosis with terminal cancer 30 years ago and how together, they beat the odds. Question 1. Tell me a bit about you. I love the sea, painting, singing, the colour purple and having family and friends visiting from UK and abroad! Steve and I have three grown up children. One who will do anything for a Beano annual (he is deafblind and autistic):

Motivation, Inspiration, Mindfulness and Happiness = a recipe for fulfilled life. 'The Daily Mind', however, also tackles the difficult areas of life such as domestic abuse, mental health and terminal cancer. Well worth a visit. An easy and clear site to navigate. Whilst researching 'The Daily Mind' I found just one video on a their Youtube channel. I practice and teach meditation. I enjoyed this meditation and it is a little different. We all react to meditations differently, and different techniques and ways work for different people. So let's celebrate that this meditation and format works for some people too :) There are some lovely phrases, like 'admire the silence' and 'do not empower

Video 4: Mandy's Chats about Nipples to Kneecaps Why do some you think people die from cancer? Post Steve’s recovery we (Steve, dad and I) have met, talked with, and given healing to many cancer patients and their families. So many, also given only weeks or months to live, have - like Steve - gone on to live full and healthy lives. However, for some patients, including my own dad (when he was 83) cancer is their passage to the next life. In these situations, I have felt a difference almost instantly upon meeting them or hearing them describe their diagnosis, and the whole process is different. Healing, in my experience, can still take place for them on the spiritual, mental and emotional lev

How can you give hope to children with cancer? What you may already know is that 'My Book Place' is a great site to visit to read reviews, new books and authors profiles. What you may NOT know (because it is hidden away on the Announcement page) is that Liz Fogg has a fundraising account connected to 'My Book Place'. She is a huge believer in giving back and will allow you the opportunity to get free advertising on the site when a donation is made. She is currently raising funds for: Kellsie’s Hope Super Heroes Half Marathon Weekend "My son has decided to start racing with me! We have chosen to raise money for Kellsie’s Hope Foundation in place of paying the race registration fees. Kellsie’s

If you are looking for a positive jam packed blog site then Sol Vibrations would be a good place to start. It is a multi-author self improvement blog, aiming to be a source for inspiration, educations and entertainment. They select posts that in some way shine a light on new thinking, ways to grow and inspire creativity. The blogs are arranged under these headings: Spiritual Philosophy, Psychology, Creativity, Health & Wellness, Education, News (helpful), Blogging, Business, Children, Apps, Mental Health & Illness, Personal Development, Travel, Technology & Home Improvement. As part of my Book Blog Tour I sent in my guest post into Sol Vibrations. Unfortunately, I included my website address

Steve is a cancer survivor. He battled, beat and banished terminal cancer forever. How much did laughter play a role? Steve loves to laugh and joke. A few weeks ago he surprised me with this - his patent seagull scarer. We live on the Devon coast and seagulls landing on our dormer roof is a definite problem, especially when they decide to do their 6.00 am tap dance routine! So, Steve made this to wave out the window. :) Yes, it works.

Sam has a chatty, honest and enthusiastic style in her videos. She certainly loves books! Her channel 'Sam's Nonsense' discusses books, beauty and fashion. books, video games, more books, movies...Oh, and I did I mention books? She has uploaded 604 videos so far. Check out her Fall Book Haul 2017 for sensible, honest and short reviews of the current books she is looking at. If you are into a particular author, she talks about all their books in Author Highlights, which may help you pick the next one to read e.g. Lloyd Alexander, Michael J Sullivan, Tamora Pierce, Gerald Morris, Robin Hobb, Juliet Marllier and Sebastien De Castell. She does an encouraging series called 'I Suck At Read A Th

Why did I wait to publish 'Nipples to Kneecaps - to die or not to die with cancer'? Over the years, we have (as a family) shared Steve’s story and, I believe, given hope and inspiration to all those who have heard it. However, I waited thirty years to publish 'Nipples to Kneecaps' for the following three reasons. 1. Steve had three seemingly impossible goals to fulfil, which all involved a time factor – he has now achieved them. 2. Some people with cancer go into remission only to have it reappear five, seven, or even twelve years later. I wanted to make sure that Steve wasn’t in ‘remission’ but cured. I think a thirty-year run is long enough, don’t you? 3. Last year, Steve finally chose to

Cue & Review BLOG TOUR 24th November Yesterday I was given a VIP badge! Very Important Person? No, in this case it stood for: Visually Impaired Person. This was quite some synchronicity as I had decided last week to choose Cue & Review as one of my Blog Stops. So who are/what is Cue & Review? Why did I choose them? Cue and Review – “Print Speaking to the Blind” transcribe print magazines and newspapers into audio format for the benefit of the visually and reading impaired. This can be accessed and downloaded online daily, free of charge. They rely heavily on volunteers and are based in Glasgow. Their volunteers read and then upload individual articles to the Sonata Internet Radio service pro

The Lancashire Witch BLOG TOUR 23rd November Thank you Paul for featuring the true, inspirational book Nipples to Kneecaps – to die or not to die with cancer by Mandy Brown on you Facebook Page. Q & A Session about Cancer and Nipple to Kneecaps: Q Before terminal cancer appeared in your life, what connection had you had with healing? A None really. I had heard of faith healing, hands on healing. It was the 1980's, so Reiki and other complementary practices were certainly not so wide spread, but we were offered spiritual healing and various different religion groups put us on their prayer lists. Q What advice would you give to someone facing cancer today? A First of all, I usually, share our

Well, 'Nipples to Kneecaps – to die or not to die with cancer' of course! I know, who ever would have thought these would all be features in the same book. A perfect family. A perfect life. A devastating diagnosis. Nipples to Kneecaps: To Die or Not to Die with Cancer is the true, inspirational story of Steve, a man who seemed to have it all… until a cancer diagnosis threatened to take it all away. Determined not to allow the last three months of his life to be one lived wallowing in their unspeakable sorrow, Mandy, Steve’s staunch partner in love and life, made a decision that would change the course of their young family’s life and make their friends, family, and doctors nervous. Thirty ye

BLOG TOUR Post 2 2ndNovember 2017 DADGEEK is a movie geek, game geek, tech geek and proud autism dad. So much on one website to please dads and mums with Leigh's reviews on games, movies, videos, products and affordable family trips. Great place to go just prior to Christmas shopping online. Most recent reviews on Scalextric British Tours Car Racing Track Set (gosh that brings back memories of hours of fun with our kids), 1001 Spikes (Leign plays the games for you to see) and Sands Alive Glow, which I admit I quite fancy buying for me! Check out DADGEEK's website for many other interesting posts and look out for Leigh's review of Nipples to Kneecaps hopefully coming soon.. Also, on find DADG

BLOG TOUR Post 21st November 2017 Mae & Me A GREY HOUSE, A GREY MOUSE & A BEAUTIFUL BABY NAMED MAE Reading Mae & Me's Blog I realised that the time period Sascha is describing was the exact same time period my family (me, Steve and baby Alex) had been through, except for one major difference. We were also living with an awful diagnosis of terminal cancer. You see when Alex was 9 months old Steve, his daddy, was given three months to live. However, as you will read in 'Nipples to Kneecaps – to die or not to die with cancer' we did not miss out on all the wonderful experiences and milestones of having a child, but we did adapt to include him. That time definitely shaped our live

I loved the way we regularly laughed uncontrollably together with tears rolling down our faces, holding our sides trying to stop laughing and crying usually about some mishap with the wallpapering that we were hanging or some other similar shared task. You were always there with new inventions and ideas - the original problem solver king. Watching a film with the family or attending a school play, we would inevitably look at each other with a silent, "Uh, oh. Here we go again!" as we both wiped away those sentimental tears. If I stubbed my toe, or the hammer hit my thumb, you'd ask, "Does it hurt when you laugh?" If I bit my tongue accidentally, you'd say, "Good job you're not a poisonous sn

BLOG TOUR Post 21st November 2017 Mae & Me A GREY HOUSE, A GREY MOUSE & A BEAUTIFUL BABY NAMED MAE Mae & Me is the perfect blog spot for new mums and new grandmothers too. Sasha’s blog is easy to read, full of cute photos like their family visit to the Cotswolds Wildlife Park. Her blog post 7 Things I Have Learnt in 7 months of Motherhood is one which will resonate with many. Check out Mae & Me website for many other interesting posts and look out for her review of Nipples to Kneecaps coming soon. Also, on find Mae & Me on Facebook Instagram – @mae Twitter – @SashaAlicia21 Mandy www.nipplestokneecaps.com

'To die or not to die with cancer' - the subtitle for the Nipples to Kneecaps was, it seems, intuitively chosen although until last week I did not realise that was the case. Last week I saw some PR copy that had an incorrect subtitle. Instead of to die or not to die with cancer, it had 'to die or live with cancer.' As I corrected it, I began to question it. It came to me, of course, here was yet another example of the mindset that we had consciously employed during that traumatic period in our lives i.e when Steve was given three months to live and sent home to die. Although today I still check my choice of words, I admit that, in this instance, it had happened subconsciously. Let me explain

Video 3: Mandy's Chats about Nipples to Kneecaps What is my overall aim in writing Nipples to Kneecaps? My overall aim is to give you, the reader, hope and inspiration that you too can achieve the impossible. Nipples to Kneecaps is an important story to be read and shared because if you find yourself facing your worst fear, your circumstances seem hopeless, or if you ever feel powerless, you can remind yourself of Steve’s story and, as a result, feel empowered to change the predicted outcome – despite the odds and expectations of others. I want you to understand that if you are suffering with ill health, or a doctor has diagnosed you with a progressive or terminal illness, you can change you

Video 2: Mandy's Chats about Nipples to Kneecaps I have just recorded the first video about Nipples to Kneecaps and I cant believe I got so emotional after all this time. When Steve was diagnosed with just three months to live I had no time to cry, I felt I needed to direct my energy elsewhere i.e. to fighting the battle against cancer with him. Looking at that video (me all emotional and teary) you would never have guessed I found the strength to hold back those tears back then but I did...for Steve and for Alex. Cancer certainly affects people's lives for years even after they get the all clear. I hope my videos will give you the inspiration and strength to keep going. www.nipplestokneecap