A terminally-ill man who defied his doctors’ expectations that he would not live out the year has come to Basingstoke to tell his amazing story.
Aspiring author Martin Hopley is appealing to parents and teachers in the town to get in touch so he can pass on his message of hope.
The 30-year-old from Reading, who cannot do normal work because of his condition, has penned a novel in a bid to get himself off benefits.
Mr Hopley said: “I would like to ask parents in Basingstoke to get in touch. I want to tell my story to children and disabled children, who need to know of what some people go through and how they get through it.”
When Mr Hopley was 14 his world was turned upside down when he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour.
Since being diagnosed, he has undergone 18 brain operations at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital, a specialist neurosurgery centre.
He underwent 12 operations in one year alone to combat further tumours and complications arising from his condition.
In February 1997, when he was 17, he was told that an operation to remove a cancerous tumour located at the base of his brain had failed.
Doctors told him he would not see out the year.
“When I was told by my doctor that I was terminally-ill, I had never felt worse,” said Mr Hopley. “It was horrible and I became depressed. The thought that I or anybody else could do nothing to help only made it worse.
“I have never in my life felt so alone.”
Martin cannot explain why 13 years later he has proved his doctors wrong, but said shortly after being diagnosed he realised he would achieve nothing by living in fear of his fate.
He said: “There came a point when I realised it was useless worrying about my condition. I changed my life, I changed my diet and lived as healthily as I could and always thought positively.
Mr Hopley’s ordeal has left him with short term memory loss, double vision, damaged hearing in his left ear and constant leg pain.
He has battled all these obstacles to pen a self-published novel, S.I.S – Student Information Service, which he wrote in Cafe Nero in Festival Place, Basingstoke.
He hopes his initial print run of 30 copies, published two weeks ago, will be picked up and sold to retailers, so he can get himself off the benefits he has had to live on for 10 years.
He said he is currently trying to get it stocked in Waterstone’s in Festival Place and will continue to plug his book on the road.
But he said his main goal is to educate people about fighting against the odds.
He said: “It is hugely important to let children know about what I have gone through and what I have beaten.
“Hearing these things, while it may be distressing for some, is important for kids growing up. I have been told in the past that I have been giving children aspirations they cannot achieve, but I disagree with that entirely – I am living proof.
“I remember one question I received from a child, who stood up in the middle of class and asked me if I had ever considered committing suicide.
“It’s questions like those I love. Adults would never ask them.
“It’s the children’s inhibitions and innocence that lets them ask these cutting and important questions.”
To contact Martin email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
