Twist of fate which saved George's life

Because that footballing accident may have saved his life.

"I was taken to hospital where they did a routine scan and found a brain tumour which had probably been there for many years," said 40-year-old George, who works supporting autistic adults in Ludlow.

And now his personal experience has provided the inspiration for his debut book, called From Ten Down To Three.

"It's aimed at young adults and teenager. I'm hoping that by reading this book it might help them understand that they're not the only ones going through hard times or to have gone through hard times. You can get through it and life is hard but with positive thinking, family, and that sort of thing, you can get good outcomes."

George, from Tenbury Wells, said: "A lot of the experiences in the book are my own experiences. At the age of 14 I was diagnosed with a brain tumour that was found purely by luck. For years and years my mother and father had been taking me to the doctors and saying I was suffering from headaches, but everything was put down to allergies, my age, growing pains.

"Then one day I was playing football, something I really loved doing, and I fell over - I was pushed over, actually - and banged my head.

"I had an operation and was in hospital for a month. I had to learn how to walk again, talk again, even eat again. It was a long process of getting back to normality. If I had not had the operation I would have been either dead or in a wheelchair in a care home for the rest of my life.

"The book examines the possibility of whether things are just by chance or by fate - is there something else helping us along the way. It looks at the decisions that we all make that can impact on the rest of our lives and how a seemingly small decision or a big event can define our future” "

The main character is called James, and George says there are some elements of the book which are fiction, but the parts about the hospital, feelings and emotions, are himself.

"It's a mixture of fact and fiction, with the fact part being my own experience."

George, who has been married 21 years and has two grown up sons, still has some after effects, with tremors and, when he is tired, slurred speech, and his co-ordination not being as good as before his operation.

"One the whole I'm very lucky."

From Ten Down To Three is available from online booksellers, and also from publisher Austin Macauley.

"I'm very pleased with the response to it. It's a nice cosy read which can be enjoyed by all ages."