Might Make You Smile

«Might Make You Smile is a collection of short stories based on real events from real people living with or recovering from cancer. Written by Brenda Burling, with help from people all over the UK, Might Make You Smile is far from your typical book about cancer. Mainly because the focus here isn’t on the disease; it’s on the people. Might Make You Smile tells the stories that you don’t often hear. From getting funny looks on your commute because your eyebrows are green, to losing your wig and even getting your nipple shot off with a foam dart; Might Make You Smile really does cover everything. Often funny and always heartwarming, Might Make You Smile is the book that demonstrates that even The Big C comes with a sense of humour.

Talking about the inspiration for the book, Brenda said: “The idea for Might Make You Smile came to me whilst listening to friends telling me of their experiences during cancer treatments,” Brenda says. “When a very close friend was diagnosed at the end of 2015 I knew I had to write the book. I had no idea how the concept would work other than a gut instinct and the desire to make anyone affected by cancer feel connected through sharing the experiences of others.”

10% of proceeds from sales of Might Make You Smile will be donated to the Helen Rollason Cancer Charity and Brenda is excited to be helping a cause close to so many with this book. “The Helen Rollason Cancer Charity has helped so many people I have spoken to and Brafternoon was closely linked to the charity too”. Brafternoon – a support group close to Brenda’s hometown in Essex – have been huge supporters of the project. Brenda has been involved with the group since finding out about them whilst helping a friend. “I already knew Anita, but discovered she also ran the Brafternoon support group and I took my friend along. Whilst there I announced my idea to the group explaining I’d already got some stories and would they be interested in contributing? Again the response was amazing.”