UPLIFTING stories from 23 people who have survived cancer are included in a poignant book to be released by a Portishead writer who has also battled the disease.

The Cancer Survivor’s Club, by Chris Geiger, which is already receiving rave reviews, will receive its UK launch at Foyles book shop at Cabot Circus in Bristol on November 14.

When Chris, who lives with his wife at Port Marine, was first diagnosed with cancer in 1992, he scoured shops for books written by people who had fought and survived the disease. Those he found were mostly about celebrities and provided little information about the treatment or how they survived.

He has now used his own experiences of cancer to inspire his book.

‘Dear Tumour’ is a chapter written by Chris in the form of a letter to the growth which robbed him of the lifestyle he enjoyed before diagnosis. He was a 25-year-old fitness enthusiast with a good job and a flash car, the world was his oyster.

The chapter details how Chris was told the tumour, the size of one-and-a-half grapefruits wedged between his heart and lungs, would kill him within three months and how he waged war on the intruder, refusing to accept his prognosis and let the disease win.

The story tells of the different treatments Chris endured and the effects they had on his body, as he and the tumour “continued sparring like heavyweight boxers,” with both putting up a courageous battle.

After a two-year fight against the disease, Chris has gone on to run the London Marathon, despite having only one functioning lung.

The 45-year-old said: “I hope people affected by cancer will use this book to help them focus on surviving. I also hope members of The Cancer Survivors Club will act as ambassadors, by using their experience to support and inspire other people who are currently receiving treatment, until they too become survivors.”

Chris regularly appears at cancer support groups, bookshops, libraries and writers’ groups, offering hope to people whose lives are affected by cancer. He also writes newspaper columns publicising the disease and cancer charities and in 2011 won a Columnist of the Year award

The book launch at Foyles takes place on November 14 at 6.30pm and signed copies will be available to buy. Tickets are free and available directly from Foyles on a first come, first served basis. To reserve a seat call 0117 376 3975 or email BristolEvents@Foyles.co.uk