Shadow of a Survivor

Non-Fiction

Pages: 194 Ratings:

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At just eighteen, he received a devastating diagnosis: cancer. The prognosis was grim: “You will not survive.” What followed was an agonising battle through the depths of failed treatments, where hope flickered like a distant light.Eight years after defying the odds, life delivered another cruel twist—his four-year-old daughter was diagnosed with terminal leukaemia.His journey is one of extraordinary resilience. Yet, he returned to the very hospital that once held his fate—this time as a senior cancer nurse specialist, dedicating his life to those walking the same path.From appearing on rock festival stages to visiting the sacred lands of the Lakota Sioux Nation, his life is a testament to survival, transformation, and the unbreakable human spirit.Now, fifty years on, he is honoured to be one of the UK’s longest cancer survivors.His memoir is an award-winning chronicle of perseverance, faith, and the profound power of the human will.

John Walker Pattison was born in the wonderful seaside town of South Shields 64 years ago.

He is a long-suffering but dedicated Newcastle United supporter; however, there is little doubt that the crucial hinge in John’s life is his beautiful wife, June, and his family. “Nothing is more important than family,” says John.

He recently retired from his post as a senior clinical nurse specialist in haematology at his local hospital, a place that established his cancer diagnosis in 1975; he is humbled to be one of the longest living cancer survivors in the UK at 46 years post diagnosis.

His interests include Native American photography and exploring parts of America unseen by tourists.