
Orla Tinsley is well known as a campaigner for the rights of people with Cystic Fibrosis in Irel&. In her memoir she takes us on a journey into the inner world of a child whose home from home was hospital yet who from an early age refused to allow her illness to define her. It is also a story about coming of age in todays Ireland as Orla takes us through school college & the pursuit of a dream to become a writer. She describes how her love of poetry & drama sustained her through difficult times & how writing in her journal was often a lifeline. She also tells of coming to terms with the loss of young friends through CF & her at times maverick fight to improve an under-par health system that for those with CF delivers a lesser life expectancy in Ireland than anywhere else in Europe. Orlas family instilled in her a mind-over-matter philosophy from an early age: if you cant do something one way keep trying until you find another. Breathe reveals the path of a young woman known for her fighting spirit: deeply personal at times shocking always honest & ultimately hopeful.