A Preston man has written his first book following a major operation to remove a cyst from his brain.

Paul Walmsley, who underwent his operation at Royal Preston Hospital, then unfortunately suffered a stroke, which caused loss of movement in his left arm and affected his speech, among other issues.

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To help on his road to recovery, Paul, a senior duty manager at a tennis and fitness centre in Preston, challenged himself to write a book of short stories.

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Paul said: “In March 2020, I had an operation to remove a cyst from my brain. It took six and a half hours and, as I came out of the anaesthetic, I then suffered a stroke.

“It caused a loss in the movement to my left arm, affected my speech and more severely caused damage to a nerve in my eye. It caused me to have double vision (diplopia), which I still have today. I recovered from the other two.

“Determined to get back on my feet and get my brain ticking over again, I challenged myself to write a book of short stories, completed in December 2020 during lockdown.

“I could not have recovered as I did without the care, patience and love of my wife. My book is dedicated to her.”

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Twenty-one Short Tales With a Twist is a collection of scenarios in the lives of ordinary people.

The synopsis reads: “From beginning to end, this is a heart-warming collective covering subjects such as work, TV, hobbies, friends, relationships, holidays, family life, yet all ending with a twist.

“The accounts are generally in a light-hearted and amusing vein, but there are also some thought-provoking happenings that serve to highlight the fact that things are never always what they seem.”

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Paul said: “I would like to thank all the staff in ward 2B at Royal Preston Hospital for taking care of me in March 2020.

“I hope my story gives hope to stroke victims or people with visual challenges that things can get better with effort.”

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