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Michael O’Mara Books is to partner with charity Breast Cancer Now, the UK’s largest breast cancer charity, to donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Rachael Bland’s memoir For Freddie: A Mother's Final Gift to her Son.
Published on 21st February, For Freddie is the memoir from Bland, broadcaster and founder of the podcast "You, Me and the Big C". Written in her final months following her terminal cancer diagnosis, For Freddie is part memoir, part advice, sharing all the things Rachael learnt in her 40 years, as well as detailing key moments in her life. Bland died in September last year, and Michael O'Mara announced it had acquired world rights to the book in November.
The book will feature contributions from those who were inspired and worked closely with Rachael throughout her 15-year career with the BBC, including Richard Bacon, Greg Wise and Emma Barnett. Bland’s husband, Steve Bland, will promote the book alongside her "You, Me and the Big C" podcast hosts Deborah James and Lauren Mahon, and there will be a series of nationwide events planned.
A portion of the royalties from the sale of the book (a minimum of £5,000) will be donated to the charity.
Bland’s husband, said: “Rachael was passionate about research and about the pursuit of new and innovative treatments to prevent and tackle breast cancer. She would be thrilled to see her book, that she worked so hard on before she died, supporting a fantastic charity like Breast Cancer Now which is doing some wonderful work in these areas.”
Delyth Morgan, chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, said:“We are incredibly humbled that some of the proceeds from the sale of Rachael’s memoir are being donated to Breast Cancer Now to help fund vital research into this devastating disease.
“Nearly 11,500 mothers, daughters, wives and sisters are still losing their lives to breast cancer every year in the UK and we need to do much, much more to prevent the disease, to stop it spreading and to treat it effectively when it does. In particular, ‘triple negative’ breast cancer, which Rachael had, remains one of the biggest areas of unmet need in breast cancer and we urgently need research to find new and kinder options for these patients.
“Rachael’s story will undoubtedly continue to give hope to many women, men and their families, now and in the future. It is stories like hers that inspire us to keep making the discoveries and searching for the breakthroughs that will change the future of breast cancer, forever.”