All That Followed: A story of cancer, kids and the fear of leaving too soon

by Emma Campbell

"A story of true maternal courage in the face of an onslaught of massive life challenges, Emma Campbell is an extraordinary woman. This is a deeply felt memoir about motherhood, survival and learning to live for whatever life throws at you." CLOVER STROUD, author of The Wild Other

An extraordinary story of facing life s multiple (!) trials with love, resilience and courage, told in Emma s warm, funny and unflinchingly honest style. AMY McCULLOCH, author of Jinxed and The Potion Diaries

With four children (three of them triplets!) and a relationship break-up to contend with, some things get a little lost in the mix. Like symptoms.

Emma Campbell bravely and honestly offers heartfelt thoughts on what happens when cancer becomes an unwelcome guest at an already crowded party. She shares her own terror and pain, mixed with the heartwarming and unexpected. The extraordinary kindness of people and the gritty detail of battling a life-threatening illness, all while being a single mum to four children. She opens up about her angels and demons, losing and then finding love again, a constant fear of death mixed with the joy and relief of living, the anxiety of cancer returning - then facing it when it does.

This book has grown from Emma's blog Me And My Four. Eager to share with her followers in more detail, the secrets, the fears, the triumphs and the terrors that she faces each day, in a life as unpredictable as your own...

www.meandmyfour.com

350 pages, Paperback

Published August 9, 2018

About the author

Emma Campbell Is a freelance writer and columnist for Best magazine. She runs her own blog `Me And My Four' and has worked extensively with Cancer Research UK's marketing team. She is married with four children and lives in London.

Reviews

[Julie Haigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best of its kind - a superb memoir.

I've read quite a few cancer memoirs before. This was one of the best I have read, and it contains so much more-it doesn't just focus on her cancer and treatment. This lady has the diagnosis only months after giving birth to triplets. She also has another older son. Emma and French partner Marc had wanted another baby, and after miscarriages, they ended up going the IVF route-then one baby turned out three. As well as the enormous task of looking after all the babies, she has to deal with their relationship breaking up, and she also finds out she has breast cancer.

This was a very good book, so well-written, incredibly honest, and an unexpectedly easy read concerning the subject matter. There was so much more in it, so much more than a cancer journey. She has had so much to get through, and all at the same time. It had a good balance-the hard news and then happier, nostalgic memories of childhood and family life. There isn't too much detail about the chemo, radiotherapy, and mastectomy and reconstruction surgeries.

It's definitely not all gloom-it was uplifting too. She tells of after treatment ends; getting back to living her life to the full again, starting new things. It really was a superb memoir. There was a beautiful love story in there too; a fairy tale romance-and a hilarious ending to their short break away! One of the best memoirs I've read recently.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a privilege it has been to read and review Emma Campbell’s All That Followed: A True Story of Triplets, Friends, Cancer, Love, Loss and Laughter. Emma experienced a true Job experience and came through whole, which she describes so beautifully in this inspirational, often hilarious and ever engrossing memoir. Highly recommended! 5/5

Pub Date 09 Aug 2018

Thanks to Mirror Books and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#AllThatFollowed #NetGalley

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A True Story of Triplets, Friends, Cancer, Love, Loss and Laughter. This was such a privilege to get to read. I am deeply moved by this family’s journey. I hope everyone out there fighting the fight gets a chance to read this book. Emma is an extraordinary woman.

[Pat Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about an extraordinary woman. Emma has written this honest and soul searching book which tells of her terrible journey through cancer. Emma already had one young child, recently split up from her partner, and just a few months after giving birth to triplets is diagnosed with breast cancer. She then faces the enormous task of going through all the treatments whilst coping with the above. It is a story of immense courage and fantastic support from family and friends, but with plenty of laughter and tears. Emma is an inspiration to others and a true survivor.
Thanks to NetGalley and Mirror books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Elaine Appelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good book, but also omitted some important information. No explanation as to why the father of her children was ultimately cut off, totally and unconditionally, from his children. Was he violent? Abusive? It's unusual for a father who wants to see his children have his rights stripped away. Can someone help me out here? This kind of ruined the experience for me because it didn't, and doesn't, make any sense.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put it down.

When I bought this book, I expected a read mainly about living with cancer. Which is why I bought it and yes Emma does write very much and openly and honestly about that, BUT, so much more. Relationships with family members, friends, lovers, her children , the places she loved to go and through so many battles and obstacles, finally meeting the man she calls her rock, Dave. By the time Dave arrives in Emma's life, that doesn't sound cheesy at all. She needed a rock. What struck me most was how much Emma talks about her struggles and blaming herself , especially for constantly fearing cancer yet when you read about how her friends and family and even 60 Minute Makeover rally around her , as well as strangers you know you are reading a book written by a loved , adored and incredible woman. A wonderful read.

[Veronica Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The the most wonderful book! All that this woman went through is unbelievable and makes me look at my own life that little bit more differently now.

[Paola Collins Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very real and honest, easy to read and entertaining.

[Áine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It feels a bit odd to sit down and write a review of someone's memoir, it's not like they've generally had much control over what's happened in their life. That's what really strikes me about Emma, the universe literally shat upon her from a height, secondary infertility, triplets, difficult marriage breakdown and then cancer on top. This could easily have been a "misery memoir" but it isn't, it's a lovely tale of hope and friendship. Mostly hope and I wish her a nice peaceful future.

[Julie Lawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received All That Followed as an ARC from Netgalley. I wanted to read this book because I'm also a breast cancer survivor and a parent of multiples but I have twins instead of triplets. This is a memoir of Emma's struggles with 2 roads of breast cancer while being a single parent to toddler triplets and an older child. My twins were 15 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer but I was still able to identify with Emma. A good read with insight into coping with devastation in your life.