Lancing dad publishes book packed with 400 hand-drawn illustrations to celebrate his son's short life and raise money for Cavell Nurses' Trust

Michael Glare's life was short but it was full of wonder and hope, and he never gave up in the long, hard four years after he became sick at the age of 18 with an extremely rare immune disorder.

Dad David Glare, of Grand Avenue, Lancing, wanted to celebrate his youngest son and all the adventures he had with his brother Steven.

He said: "I wanted to tell the world all about his life and the adventures he had growing up with his brother, and believe me there are a lot of them. Enough to fill a book, I thought to myself. I have spent the past two years painting, scribbling and sketching this illustrated book, which I have published to raise money for charity.

"I Am Michael Glare and This is My Life is the story of Michael, our amazing son, who never gave up on life. Unfortunately, he became very sick when he reached 18 with an extremely rare immune disorder and spent four years fighting for his life in hospital. We lost him just before Christmas 2019."

All profits will be given to the Cavell Nurses' Trust and the four hospitals that looked after Michael, Worthing, Southampton, St Thomas' and Kings College.

Michael was a beautiful boy with a heart of gold and a smile for everyone. He spent the last four years of his life in hospital, fighting various infections and desperately needed a bone marrow donor.

David said: "Unfortunately, we couldn't find one for him and he ran out of time. He was only 21 when he died but he loved life with all his heart and never gave up the fight. This is a book dedicated to his memory with stories of him growing up with his brother Steven at the start of the millennium. From the day he was born to the day he left us, he lived a life full of fun and adventure."

The book has 113 chapters, with full colour illustrations, hand drawn by David in pencil, watercolour and acrylic from original photos, ideas and sketches. Each chapter tells a little adventure, from a close encounter with a billy goat to being chased by a scarecrow over the Downs, all lovingly told with text and pictures.

David said: "He made friends with a hedgehog, had lunch with some robots and saved a small spider. A little angel you must be thinking but unfortunately he wasn't always like that when he was growing up, but he did try, well some of the time, just not very hard sometimes.

"This book has all the little stories that I remember and I think they will make you smile and maybe a few tears here and there."

I Am Michael Glare and This is My Life is priced £16.99. Visit www.michaelglare.co.uk for more information and to place an order.