‘Even in times of darkness, amazing things can happen’

The book, ‘August Always’, was officially launched earlier this year and has received great reviews. It tells Jonathan’s story of his on-going struggle from an able bodied young man to someone who became disabled from Addison’s disease, and consequently suffered brain damage.

Jonathan takes us from his childhood in Troubles-era Belfast, through to his typically teenage preoccupations with comics, music and girls, and from there to the point at which he was dealt a particularly cruel hand.

It begins with the time he worked in a comic shop in his hometown of Lisburn during his teenage years. The middle of the book tells the reader how, at the age of only 22, Jonathan almost died - he became disabled as a result of undiagnosed Addisonian crisis. Jonathan was left comatose, speechless, paralysed, brain-damaged and given up for dead.

The following harrowing and heartbreaking chapters are lit up with humour, happiness and laughter - taking you on an emotional rollercoaster.

Jonathan refuses to let his condition get the better of him, and through ruthless determination and courage has regained many of the skills lost as a result of the disease.

Having already cheated death, writing ‘August Always’ is one of the many challenges Jonathan has ‘taken in his stride’ - a phrase which is not deemed inappropriate as walking is another mountain Jonathan is determined to conquer and he is making progress towards this goal.

His journey has been long and laborious, but Jonathan said he was determined to share his experience with others. He writes: “These are the moments in life that define us. Along the journey there will be crises of passion and love, of faith and desire, but none as devastating as an Addisonian crisis. I am Jonathan Fisher, a survivor. My hope is to make the reader feel that even in times of darkness, amazing things can happen.

“August Always is my memoir. I believe in the incredible. I dream of a better future. One of my goals in life was to become an author. I have now achieved that. The other is to walk again. I am making slow but steady progress towards achieving that goal.”

Jonathan would also like to thank his tutors at SERC for their on-going help and support throughout the year. During his time at SERC he has met lifelong friends and is really enjoying his A Level course in Psychology.

‘August Always’ is available from Waterstones in Bow Street.