Thousands of miles away from where her son was deployed, a powerful premonition is devastatingly confirmed by a knock on the door from two faceless strangers bearing the news that her son had stepped on an improvised explosive device in the poppy fields of Afghanistan. He had lost both of his legs and suffered multiple other injuries, including partial amputation of all the fingers of his left hand. For 48 days she stood at his bedside, praying and willing him to pull through. Not only did he survive against all odds, but in time he began to test the limits of his new capabilities and undertook the first of, what would prove to be, many physical challenges. Just 18 months after injury, and as part of a team of four servicemen, he rowed across the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. Told mostly from a mother's perspective with contributions from Cayle, the genesis of the book was in the diary she kept while he was in a medically induced coma. It is the story of an extraordinarily brave man who has been through the agonies of rebuilding his life, with the encouragement of family and friends. This was never meant to be another book about war or Afghanistan; it is a message of how love and hope can overcome adversity. If even just one reader takes inspiration from this story then ? mission accomplished. AUTHOR: Bronwyn Royce has been a secretary, a gym instructor, a bookkeeper, a shop manager, and is now a watercolour artist specialising in miniature paintings. Born in South Africa in 1960 during the apartheid era, she saw the country transformed when Nelson Mandela came into power in 1994. She lived with her family on a remote farm without electricity or running water, survived a devastating bushfire, emigrated to the United Kingdom, and has been through a life-changing experience with her son. She loves chocolate, good coffee and going for long walks but isn't keen on sprouts or cooked carrots. Her greatest achievement and legacy is bringing up two amazingly adventurous sons. 30 colour illustrations
