Dear Sebastian

As a parent, I find it hard to sit and put myself in a situation where I would lose either of my children. I can never bring myself to even a foot close to the edge of that nightmare. But I can imagine my children in a situation where I am no longer a feature of their life. OR SO I THOUGHT.

Jordan Ferguson was diagnosed with terminal cancer in March 2008. He was only 35 with a young son, Sebastian, who is only about a year older than Lydia, my daughter is right now. Encouraged by a pyschologist to help Sebastian through the rough months ahead, Jordan was to sit down and pen down his thoughts, words of wisdom and life's lesson in a few short months before he breathes his last. All in an effort to give Sebastian something to hold on to after his father's gone - Very reminiscence of Randy Paucsh's The Last Lecture.

But Jordan Ferguson decided to take it a step further. He wrote to famous Irish figures from all walks of life, asking them to write his son a letter. And now, 18 months later, we have Dear Sebastian, the best seller in Ireland, comprising of letters from individuals such as Gay Byrne (TV Personality), Ronan O'Gara (National rugby player), Shay Given (National Footballer & Manchester City goalkeeper), Christy Moore (folk singer), Brian Cowen TD (current Prime Minister), Joseph O'Connor (Columnist).

Hearing of this book, I can only imagine the determination this man must have harboured, to write to so many people, who undoubtedly receive plenty of letters, telling them his story and his need to do this for his son. All in the midst of losing his strength, being gripped by pains and everything else that comes with dying from cancer.

And I can only imagine as the replies come in and him reading through each of them, knowing that they would be good enough for his son to carry on with life and grow up to be the man his father would not be able to meet and see. Alas, as his disease got the better of him in June 2008, Jordan did not get to write his own letter to Sebastian, leaving only the words of virtual strangers  as his legacy.

As Joseph O'Connor wrote in his letter ~ I suppose that's one thing I've learned, a thing my own father told me, when I was eight or ten, when I was a child of your own age: that we can feel for another and love one another and believe happier times are coming, even when we're in the middle of a hurricane.

I have not had the pleasure of reading the entire book. But in reading Joseph O'Connor's contribution to the book, it is enough for me to know that this is one item I am going to ask my colleagues to carry for me come January. For no matter what age we are at, we could all do with little bits of wisdom passed down.

And I know for a fact that in some of the letters, I will no doubt, hear the voice of my grandfather (who has passed on 10 years now) speaking to me as well. Which just goes to show, whatever it was that Jordan Ferguson was going through without a cure - he sure got the cure right for his son instead.

Book information:

Title: Dear Sebastian

Author: Christine Horgan

Publisher: Hodder Headline Ireland (240 pages)

ISBN No:9780340994801