Retired senior cancer nurse specialist John Walker Pattison calls himself a dreamer. Born on Monday, February 4, 1957, to John and Ruby in the charming seaside town of South Shields, he recalls his school days as a time of mischief—clowning around, ignoring his academic potential, and leaving with little more than a handful of forgettable qualifications.

His childhood was largely uneventful, though he holds dear the memory of September 1969, when he first passed through the turnstiles at St. James’ Park to watch his beloved Newcastle United—a day that lit a lifelong passion for football.

In 1973, Pattison began work at a local shipyard, but fate had other plans. The sudden, brutal arrival of cancer would seize his life and steer it onto a very different path.

Today, an award-winning memoirist and children’s author. Pattison has defied extraordinary odds to get to where he is today. The lasting effects of aggressive chemotherapy and radiation brought not only survival but chronic health issues—and eventually, a new cancer diagnosis that led to his retirement a few years ago.

Pattison chronicles his journey in his acclaimed memoir, Shadow of a Survivor, where he weaves raw experience with profound compassion to offer hope to others navigating life’s darkest corridors. His writing is both deeply personal and universally resonant, touching hearts and inspiring strength.

His latest children’s book, The Fastest Water Pistol in Splodge City, won a prestigious Literary Titan ‘Gold Star Award, blending humour and slapstick escapism for middle-grade readers.

Outside of writing and reflection, John enjoys fly-fishing and photography. In 2018, he travelled to South Dakota as a guest of the Lakota Sioux Nation—a culture that had moved him deeply during his illness. At the end of a humbling week on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, he was honoured with honorary membership in the Lakota Tribal Council—a moment he treasures deeply.

John Walker Pattison’s story is not just one of survival, but of spirit. Through his words and life, he offers a powerful reminder of resilience, healing, and the quiet strength of the human heart.

More information about John and his works can be found on his website https://johnwpattison.co.uk
and at his publisher https://www.austinmacauley.com/author/john-walker-pattison