Life Force by Barry du Bois and Miguel Maestre

I received a preview copy of Life Force by Barry du Bois and Miguel Maestre. I was actually going to wait until tomorrow when I was on a flight to read it, but as I flicked through the pages my curiosity got the better of me, and I didn't put the book down. I've just finished reading it. Yep! Read it all in one go.

As I journeyed through Barry's life with him, I couldn't help but laugh and cry throughout his experiences. Certainly his stories about his dad (similar to my father) and being born in the early 60's. I'm very close to Barry's age I could relate to the good old days. In those days people were not so easily offended by the slightest thing, people were nicer. We are blessed to have been part of that era.

In one chapter Barry reminisces about his brother who was having an operation for a hernia. His dad bought his sick child a slug gun for his birthday and gave it to him at the hospital. The boys, nurses, matron and even a cigarette smoking doctor ended up shooting slug pellets out the hospital window to tins lined up outside on the kerb. That was the 70's.

When I was 12, my brothers and I played with a slug gun, and one day the two older brothers actually shot the younger one in stomach! I know, it's horrid but Eamonn survived and the two older boys were suitably punished. It was the 70's and shit happened and you knew never to do it again!

Cancer isn't the only near death experience du Bois has had. In Life Force he relates a terrifying tale sailing across the Bass Straight against 40ft waves and a near miss with a tanker. With a crew of five and three of them down with severe sea sickness you get to experience this with the two remaining fit seamen and wonder how they ever survived.

And there is more.

How about a fall from three storeys and surviving that? Barry goes into detail about that experience too. He actually recalls what went on in his head as he plummeted to his possible death.

By now you may be thinking that there can't be much more that could go wrong in this life? How about:

• IVF and way too many miscarriages

• Mother dying of cancer

• Your beautiful wife having an aggressive cervical cancer?

• Then there is the depression!

A few years of the black dog because of not being able to control the suffering of those that mean the most to you. I know it all too well having a brother that took his life; depression got the better of my brother, Gary, and he just couldn't shake it. Thankfully, Barry du Bois found a way to conquer his.

So far I've painted a very bleak picture, and there is more to come but before I do that, there are also many happy and lovely stories in the life of Barry du Bois. Success. Love. Travel. Mentors.TV show. Friends. Family, and the most important? Two beautiful children!

There are also two cancer stories. The first in 2011 and then again in 2017. I urge you to read this book to discover how with the right mindset, support of friends, love from family, and good nutrition can give hope to those battling this disease. Barry's second cancer treatment was gruelling.

This brings me to Part Two of Life Force. Miguel Maestre's support of his good friend, Barry du Bois. This section contains nutritional advice and stunning recipes created by Miguel in consultation with Chris O'Brien LIfehouse.

There are two beautiful forewords by Amanda Keller and Dr Judith Lacey.

I read this book in three hours, I couldn't put it down.

In all good bookstores RRP $34.99

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