Young fan Jude immortalised in Leeds United book after cancer fight inspires family friend
Family friend Daniel Fenwick has penned a new children’s book, Marching on Together, in tribute to the eight-year-old’s fighting spirit as he undergoes treatment for leukaemia.
Daniel explained: “I was thinking of doing a physical challenge but with lockdown I decided to get a bit more creative.
“Jude is a big Leeds fan, so the book is called Marching on Together.
“I’m a Rotherham fan but when it came to doing it for Jude, football has no colours.
“It’s all about Jude playing for Leeds. On one level, it’s a nice children’s story but it’s also about his cancer battle as well.”
First-time author Daniel said he had rattled through the writing process once he hit on his storyline, adding: “I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted the book to be about but wrote it quite quickly once I’d started — I just couldn’t stop and I was waking up in the middle of the night to write more.
“I did some illustrations myself but didn’t think they were good enough to publish.
“I managed to find an illustrator through Instagram called Chris Davis and when he found out what it was for, he said he would do it for free.
“I’ve now got 500 copies of the book waiting to be sold.”
Daniel added: “Jude is so upbeat and really impressive, especially for an eight-year-old going through what he has. “I thought it would be good to do something for him.”
Marching On Together is available through Daniel’s own Facebook page, with payment invited by PayPal at £6 for collection and £7 when including postage.