Burnley writer captures battle through depression and illness in book Raw Emotion

Jane Gill-Wilson (pictured), who used to live in Burnley, has written a collection of 17 pieces of thoughts in rhyme, which are poignant, inspirational, thought-provoking and from the heart.

Jane, a mum-of-three, was born with the rare genetic syndrome Goldenhar. She grew up in Worsley, Manchester, and spent much of her childhood in hospital having corrective surgery. In 1980, she left her home to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse and qualified in 1983.

Sadly, her adult life became blighted by illness. In 1996, after almost two decades of ill-health, she was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Shortly afterwards, it was discovered she had breast cancer.

In 1997, she underwent her first mastectomy, sparking a journey which tested her faith, endurance and saw her undergoing more than 12 operations in 10 years.

In 1998, she was voted Hyndburn Woman of the Year. Speaking about her book, Jane, who now lives in Chatburn, said: “My book is an innovative way of telling my story, a small collection of thoughts in rhyme.

“Although I have beaten breast cancer, I live with the debilitating disease SLE. Being forced to give up work due to the unpredictable nature of the illness, I’m often left feeling isolated.

“As a result I created a website www.sharedexperiences.co.uk where I regularly blog about my life. I also encourage ladies to share their experiences.

“It was through Shared Experiences that I first became inspired to record my thoughts in rhyme. Raw Emotion has been published in support of two charities close to my heart – Lupus UK and Breakthrough Breast Cancer – an annual donation from the royalties will be made to the charities during their awareness month in October.”

Jane will be signing copies of her book at W.H. Smith in Burnley from 1 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10th, which is World Lupus Day, to help raise awareness of the condition.