Rochdale fans will soon have the chance to meet their midfield hero, two-time cancer survivor Joe Thompson.

Event details: WHSmith, Rochdale. Thursday 29 November 2018, from 16.00.

Darkness and Light: My Story, is the heart-wrenching, soul-stirring autobiography of footballer and two-time cancer survivor, Joe Thompson.

His mother’s battle with mental illness and father’s descent into a life of drugs and crime saw him battle adversity from birth. Football opened up a new world of opportunity when Manchester United signed him aged nine. Joe spent six years living every boy’s dream but was left devastated when the club released him at 16. He bounced back to forge a career in the Football League, before his life was thrown into turmoil. At 24, he was diagnosed with cancer.

Six months of chemotherapy followed, which eventually rid his body of the disease. He resumed his career, but three years later he was given the shock news that his cancer had returned. An 18-day stay in an isolation unit reduced him to skin and bone, but he vowed he wouldn’t be beaten. Joe again gave cancer the boot before returning to the pitch and scoring the goal which saved Rochdale from relegation on the final day of the season.         

The soul-stirring autobiography of footballer and two-time cancer survivor, Joe Thompson. Read Darkness & Light, and discover:

• How a traumatic childhood saw his mum battle mental illness, father go to prison and brother nearly die in a hit-and-run accident
• The story of his eight years at Manchester United, including a run-in with Sir Alex Ferguson and a football lesson from Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes
• How his life and career were threatened when he was diagnosed with cancer aged 24, shortly after his daughter’s first birthday
• How he defied medical advice to come through a gruelling pre-season and win a contract at Bury less than two months after leaving hospital
• The shock of finding out he had cancer for a second time, three-and-a-half years after receiving the all-clear, and how he continued to play for three months after
• How an 18-day stay in an isolation room nearly broke his mind and body and why he credits a vegan diet for helping him to beat the disease
• What happened when he met Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino as he battled to make a second comeback
• The story of the incredible moment he scored the winning goal to keep Rochdale in League One on the final day of the 2017/18 season

Click here for more information, or to read a sample from Darkness and Light