Medical memoirs have become increasingly popular in recent years but the majority have been written by doctors, not nurses.
Kelly Critcher is helping redress the balance with A Matter of Life and Death about her work as a palliative care nurse and subsequent involvement in the pandemic at Northwick Park Hospital.
The 42 year-old – a third generation nurse following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother – realised a long-held wish to write a book.
Kelly said: “My friends and family have always been interested in my stories about work so I started writing them down a couple of years ago.
She enlisted the help of a ghost writer to shape her story and secure a deal with publisher John Blake.
Kelly added: “I used the train journey to and from work to capture anything that had happened to me during the day and wrote it up in the evening when I could find an hour or two.
“I was surprised how much I forgot until I reread my notes, especially the emotion I was feeling at the time. It was cathartic writing the book but hard work.
“It’s always a bit of a worry letting someone else read your work. I was so happy when I gave my step-daughter Liwie the manuscript and she read it in one sitting and loved it.”
Kelly describes working as a palliative care nurse as a ‘great privilege’
“It is a privilege to be a part of people’s lives at the most challenging of times and helping them understand their diagnosis and what it means for their future.
“Dying is a part of life and we help people live well until they die, such as supporting them at home if that is where they want to be.”
You can pre-order a copy of A Matter of Life and Death at bit.ly/36EI9aX
