Michael O’Mara to publish Rachael Bland memoir

Michael O’Mara will next February publish the memoir of Rachael Bland, who documented her cancer journey on the ‘You, Me and the Big C’ podcast.

For Freddie is a love letter to Rachael’s son, Freddie, which she wrote in her final months following her terminal cancer diagnosis. In the book she shared all the things she had learnt in her life as well and wrote about key experiences in her life that her son can read and enjoy.

Bland was a BBC Radio 5 Live newsreader who was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2016 after finding a lump under her arm. She was told the cancer was incurable in May and died in September.

Nicki Crossley, senior commissioning editor at Michael O’Mara Books, said: “Rachael not only put the ‘can’ in cancer but she started a nationwide conversation around the disease and went on to inspire thousands of people around the world. Rachael’s podcast, You Me & the Big C was ground-breaking, completely changing much of the rhetoric around cancer. I am extremely proud to be working with her husband to publish the book she wanted to pass on to her son, Freddie, and to share her inspirational message with thousands more."

Steve Bland, Rachael’s husband, said: “Rachael so desperately wanted to finish this book, both so Freddie could know his mother and so that she could see it in print, as a published book, before she died.

“We’re all heartbroken that she won’t be able to see it, but as a family we’re comforted and excited about the prospect of working with Nicki and the Michael O’Mara team to make sure it stands as just one of the many enduring legacies of an astonishing woman, our beautiful girl."

Michael O’Mara Books acquired world rights in all language rights from Heather Holden-Brown at HHB Agency and will publish publish in hardback on 21st February, in time for Mother’s Day