Every now and then you should take a moment to reflect on what you’re doing and what you have achieved. I’ve just given myself a big pat on the back. Completing my first ever book is a huge milestone in my life. The journey was a marathon within a marathon, and without any doubt the hardest thing I’ve ever done on an intellectual scale.

What made it extra-tough was holding down a full-time job and having family commitments dominating all my free time. The whole thing took twice as long as I guessed it would. To find a morsel of creativity at exactly the same moment I had a crumb of free time was my biggest challenge. Remembering every last minute of my hospital experiences was the easy bit, making them remotely interesting was tricky.