Dr Manu Dua; 2021; Laurel Elite Books; £6.54; pp. 83; ISBN: 978-1-7360587-1-8

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This compelling short volume consists of a series of blogs penned by Dr Manu Dua during the last two years of his life. A successful young dentist, popular with his patients and staff and well-known in the dental community, Dr Dua was also an enthusiastic amateur sportsman who led a healthy lifestyle free of recognised risk-factors so was dismayed to receive a diagnosis of mouth cancer in 2019.

After initially promising results, his health sadly deteriorated and there followed two years of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. During this period Dr Dua devoted himself to writing, not about his treatments themselves but rather about their psychological impact. The unplanned changes to his life gave him the opportunity to examine and analyse many aspects of his thinking. Indeed, throughout the course of his disease he used this opportunity to good effect, writing blogs that would not only bring comfort and hope to people in similar situations but should also influence the wider community to think deeply about values, reaction to adversity and the mental tools that can be developed to create hope and optimism even during life's darkest days.

Never self-pitying, the blogs provide much thought-provoking material and insights into what is truly of value in human existence. The thought patterns that Dr Dua developed led to an increasing peace of mind despite his worsening health. In his words: 'The greatest lesson imparted to me is that we are far greater than the physical state of our body; our mind is a separate entity in and of itself.'

Subtitled: Dr. Dua's Survival Guide the ideas in this book transcend physical survival to touch on true immortality; the legacy left to the world by a life well-led and an enduring wisdom passed down to others.

Life Interrupted contains a poignant testament from Dr Dua's older sister Parul, referred to as 'Didi', who has also written a preface and epilogue. Cancer can be a cruel disease. It affects not only the sufferer but everyone around them, a fact well-illustrated by this book. Despite this, the positive attitude adopted by Dr Dua throughout his illness leaves the reader feeling uplifted and empowered to face even the most difficult challenges life may bring.

Philip Lewis