Now there are just 40 left to sell, with the proceeds from the project going to CanTeen.
“CanTeen was such a big part of Trudi’s life,” her parents Pat and Jock Johnston said yesterday.
For almost two years, Trudi wrote a diary in The Star of her experience with cancer, unwavering in her determination to get something to print almost every week, even during her toughest times.
Each week she would give an inspiring and very honest account of her journey, right up until her death in 2006.
Pat and Jock put together a compelling book of her journey, which became available to the public last year.
“The response we have had had been overwhelming. She touched a lot of people’s lives,” they said.
Trudi started writing the column in 2004. She was 24. The Star editor Barry Clarke had approached CanTeen, looking for a young person living with cancer to write about their journey.
Writing a weekly column was not an easy assignment. Clarke warned Trudi that there would probably be times she would want to give up, and if things got bad for her health-wise, she would need to be honest and straight with readers.
But she was up for the challenge, sharing her journey with readers and inspiring so many people with her courage, honesty and relentless positivity, Jock said.
• To purchase a book email patjock@xtra.co.nz or phone 027 209 5040
