Make It Happen

Perhaps once in a lifetime we meet someone who has the ability to inspire us in one brief meeting, who can confront not one but two life-threatening illnesses with remarkable courage – and instil hope in others in the face of the greatest adversity. Jennifer Roberts was one of those people. Accomplished in defying the odds, she lived with a kidney transplant for 29 years and terminal lung cancer for more than 12 months. A larger than life character, she faced health challenges and fear with good humour and the warmest of smiles.

As one of the UK’s leading dementia specialists, she worked to help transform the way we care for those with the condition, setting new benchmarks for supporting people living with dementia in their own homes.

Regularly taking on professional and personal challenges that she was told were beyond her, Jennifer championed transplant donor campaigns and genuinely made every moment of her 51 years count. In the last year of her life, Jennifer achieved new highs in her career and quietly, without fuss, found time to help many others diagnosed with and receiving treatment for cancer.

Written by her husband Paul, Jennifer’s uplifting never-say-die story tells of her bravery and immense determination to succeed, and how she found true love and happiness in her life. She and Paul shared a remarkable love story; they met in extraordinary circumstances, married in a Scottish castle and exchanged more than 1,000 love letters and cards in their near 13 years together. Make It Happen is a touching, bittersweet but ultimately uplifting read. It will be enjoyed by fans of biographies and those seeking an inspirational, true story.

Proceeds from the book will go towards helping people living with cancer and kidney disease.

As a journalist for 26 years, Paul Roberts worked as a writer, assistant editor and editor for newspapers and magazines in Cornwall and Devon. He later worked as a self-employed writer with his wife for six years while she was a leading dementia consultant with the United Kingdom Home Care Association.