How Football Saved My Life

How Football Saved My Life PDF Author: Alan Stubbs
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1471128350
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
The day had gone badly: Celtic had just lost to their Old Firm rivals Rangers in the 1999 Scottish Cup final, and now Alan Stubbs had to provide a sample for a random drugs test. Little did he know, but it would help save his life... The results of the test showed he had testicular cancer, and suddenly, at the age of 27 and at the peak of fitness, he realised that he had the biggest battle of his life in front of him. In this compelling and moving memoir, Stubbs recalls his despair at the time and explains how, with the support of family, friends and fans as well as terrific doctors, he pulled through to resume his career at the top. And what a career it was. First he helped Bolton Wanderers climb up two divisions to reach the Premier League in 1995. The following season, he moved to Celtic for a record fee, helping them to break the stranglehold on the league title held by Rangers. After recovering from cancer, he moved to Everton, his hometown club, where he would spend most of the rest of his playing career, lining up alongside (among others) an ageing Paul Gascoigne and an emerging Wayne Rooney. A knee injury forced him to retire in 2008, but he is now on the coaching staff at Everton. A player who has seen the game at all levels, he has also had to contend with the most shocking challenges in life, which makes his story an unmissable read.

How Football Saved My Life

How Football Saved My Life PDF Author: Alan Stubbs
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1471128350
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 273

Get Book

Book Description
The day had gone badly: Celtic had just lost to their Old Firm rivals Rangers in the 1999 Scottish Cup final, and now Alan Stubbs had to provide a sample for a random drugs test. Little did he know, but it would help save his life... The results of the test showed he had testicular cancer, and suddenly, at the age of 27 and at the peak of fitness, he realised that he had the biggest battle of his life in front of him. In this compelling and moving memoir, Stubbs recalls his despair at the time and explains how, with the support of family, friends and fans as well as terrific doctors, he pulled through to resume his career at the top. And what a career it was. First he helped Bolton Wanderers climb up two divisions to reach the Premier League in 1995. The following season, he moved to Celtic for a record fee, helping them to break the stranglehold on the league title held by Rangers. After recovering from cancer, he moved to Everton, his hometown club, where he would spend most of the rest of his playing career, lining up alongside (among others) an ageing Paul Gascoigne and an emerging Wayne Rooney. A knee injury forced him to retire in 2008, but he is now on the coaching staff at Everton. A player who has seen the game at all levels, he has also had to contend with the most shocking challenges in life, which makes his story an unmissable read.

My Life on the Line: How the NFL Damn Near Killed Me and Ended Up Saving My Life

My Life on the Line: How the NFL Damn Near Killed Me and Ended Up Saving My Life PDF Author: Ryan O'Callaghan
Publisher: Akashic Books
ISBN: 1617757705
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
A riveting account of life as a closeted professional athlete from gay NFL player O’Callaghan, against the backdrop of depression, opioid addiction, and the threat of suicide. “[O’Callaghan’s] story is one of beautiful vulnerability, and it further shows the importance of knowing you aren’t alone.” —Oprah Daily, recommended by Gayle King Ryan O’Callaghan’s plan was always to play football and then, when his career was over, kill himself. Growing up in a politically conservative corner of California, the not-so-subtle messages he heard as a young man from his family and from TV and film routinely equated being gay with disease and death. Letting people in on the darkest secret he kept buried inside was not an option: better death with a secret than life as a gay man. As a kid , Ryan never envisioned just how far his football career would take him. He was recruited by the University of California, Berkeley, where he spent five seasons, playing alongside his friend Aaron Rodgers. Then it was on to the NFL for stints with the almost-undefeated New England Patriots and the often-defeated Kansas City Chiefs. Bubbling under the surface of Ryan’s entire NFL career was a collision course between his secret sexuality and his hidden drug use. When the league caught him smoking pot, he turned to NFL-sanctioned prescription painkillers that quickly sent his life into a tailspin. As injuries mounted and his daily intake of opioids reached a near-lethal level, he wrote his suicide note to his parents and plotted his death. Yet someone had been watching. A member of the Chiefs organization stepped in, recognizing the signs of drug addiction. Ryan reluctantly sought psychological help, and it was there that he revealed his lifelong secret for the very first time. Nearing the twilight of his career, Ryan faced the ultimate decision: end it all, or find out if his family and football friends could ever accept a gay man in their lives.

How James Bond Saved My Life

How James Bond Saved My Life PDF Author: David Harkin
Publisher: Book Guild Publishing
ISBN: 1835741290
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 85

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Book Description
How James Bond Saved My Life is a unique self-help memoir. The author takes you on a journey through cinema, delving into the significance of cinematic role models and how cinematic characters can empower and inspire young minds, be it Bond, Batman or Wonder Woman. David shares his experiences as a non-verbal school child requiring speech therapy and his childhood growing up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles to establish the significance of cinema. David intertwines personal anecdotes from his past, the bullying at school, and his struggle in learning to speak, with his professional expertise as a qualified youth worker and film tutor to present a compelling case for the importance of switching off from the everyday world and tuning into the world of cinema.

How Cricket Saved My Life

How Cricket Saved My Life PDF Author: Ian Martin
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
ISBN: 1398451436
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 265

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Book Description
An honest, often sad but humorous account of life inside a body that no longer does as it is told! Ian Martin was a sports-loving youngster. When he realised he was more enthusiastic than talented enough to make a career out of playing sport he left home and joined the Royal Navy. This book tells the story of his experiences at sea onboard HMS Ark Royal, his service during the first Gulf War on HMS London and his subsequent medical discharge after being diagnosed with a neuro-muscular condition. Ian talks about the impact of the diagnosis, his deterioration and mental health battles and how cricket helped him transition into a wheelchair and to him finding himself, and a new career. It’s a tale of rejection, dreams, discovery, determination, resilience and, ultimately, success via the floors of many hotel bathrooms and scrapes with airport security.

Words Matter

Words Matter PDF Author: Mary Kay Blakely
Publisher: University of Missouri Press
ISBN: 0826273645
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 365

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Book Description
Newspapers and magazines have been steadily shrinking, and more and more former subscribers have gone to digital and internet sources for the news. Yet it has become increasingly clear that “short takes” don’t satisfy many readers, who still long for nuanced, long form journalism. By providing examples of classic magazine articles by professional writers, all of whom are graduates of the Missouri School of Journalism, this book fulfills the need for more sophisticated, thought-provoking essays that will resonate with both the general reader and students. The book is divided into three broad categories: profiles, first person journalism, and personal memoirs, and includes the original articles as well as a “postscript” by the writers in which they discuss what they’ve learned about writing, journalism, and the business of getting published. Useful for students and instructors in writing programs, the book also appeals to writers interested in both the art and the craft of successful writing.

Sri Anthology

Sri Anthology PDF Author: A to Z
Publisher: SRI Books, an imprint of the Simplicity Research Institute
ISBN: 9811450455
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 69

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Book Description
In this second collection of short nonfiction, we have a dozen real-life tales for you: stories of growing up, love, loss, helplessness, joy, adventure, taking charge, and … letting go …

How Bruce Springsteen's Music Saved My Life

How Bruce Springsteen's Music Saved My Life PDF Author: Oskari Olli
Publisher: Oskari Olli
ISBN: 3963767146
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 50

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Book Description
Book will tell a true story of how I survived from a heavy bullying in high school. It took me over 20 years to build enough courage to share my story. It goes deep in detail how the bullying affects, and how my regular school day was. When the bullying finally ended, I didn't know it was just the beginning...

Small Time

Small Time PDF Author: Justin Bryant
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781909125315
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 174

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Book Description
In 1988, 23-year-old American goalkeeper Justin Bryant thought a glorious career in professional football awaited him. He had just saved two penalties for his American club - the Orlando Lions - against Scotland's Dunfermline Athletic, to help claim the first piece of silverware in their history. He was young, strong, healthy, and confident. But professional football, he found, is rarely easy. Small Time is the story of a life spent mostly in the backwaters of the game. As Justin negotiated the Non-League pitches of the Vauxhall-Opel League, and the many failed professional leagues of the U.S. in the 1980s and 90s, he struggled not only with his game, but his physical and mental health. Battling stress, social anxiety, a mysterious stomach ailment, and simple bad luck, he nonetheless experienced fleeting moments of triumph that no amount of money can buy. Football, he learned, is 95% blood, sweat, and tears; but if you love it enough, the other 5% makes up for it.

How to Stop Living and Start Worrying

How to Stop Living and Start Worrying PDF Author: Simon Critchley
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0745659594
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 142

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Book Description
The question of how to lead a happy and meaningful life has been at the heart of philosophical debate since time immemorial. Today, however, these questions seem to be addressed not by philosophers but self-help gurus, who frantically champion the individual's quest for self-expression and self-realization; the desire to become authentic. Against these new age sophistries, How to Stop Living and Start Worrying tackles the question of 'how to live' by forcing us to explore our troubling relationship with death. For Critchley, philosophy begins with the question of finitude and with his understanding of a key classical theme - that to philosophize is to learn how to die. Learning how to accept both our own and others' mortality as a part of life also raises the question of how to love. Critchley argues that the act of love requires us to give up something of ourselves, to lose control so as to be open to the demands of love. We will never be equal to this demand and so we are brought face to face with our own limitations - one form of which is what Critchley calls our 'originary inauthenticity'. By scrutinizing the very nature of humour, Critchley explores what we need to laugh at ourselves and presents the need to confront the inescapable ridiculousness of life. Reflecting on the work of over 20 years, this book provides a unique, witty and erudite introduction to the thought of Simon Critchley. It includes a revealing biographical conversation with Critchley and a fascinating debate with the critically acclaimed novelist Tom McCarthy about the nature of authenticity. Taken together the conversations give an intimate portrait of one of the most lucid, provocative and engaging philosophers writing today.

3 Strokes In 3 Weeks Saved My Life

3 Strokes In 3 Weeks Saved My Life PDF Author: Leo Costa Jr.
Publisher: Page Publishing Inc
ISBN: 1634176685
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 121

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Book Description
At the age of 56, competitive bodybuilder and personal trainer Leo Costa, Jr. suffered three strokes over the course of three weeks. His amazing recovery defied doctors’ expectations, but the real surprise was what Leo learned about himself during this journey. He shares these insights in Three Strokes in Three Weeks Saved My Life, a compelling and transformative story about Leo’s rediscovery of himself. He uses the wake-up call of having three strokes in three weeks to ask himself, “What was I doing wrong, and why was I doing it?” Looking back over his life, Leo recalls how his scrappy childhood on a family dairy farm allowed him to excel in a variety of competitive sports, which led to a successful career as a bodybuilder, fitness professional, entrepreneur, and spokesperson. Along the way, he learns how to question his choices to better understand his own behavior. Throughout the process, he shares the tools he himself used to bounce back from failure and adversity. Three Strokes in Three Weeks will help you learn how to rebound from failure, bolster your ability to believe in yourself, and teach you how to harness your thoughts to change your behavior for the better.