"There is no feeling like the 'first feeling' to know that you hold the world in your hands and yet sense the tenuous nature of life so much that you want to enjoy every moment of it before letting go of your dreams.
I will never forget my first school, my first communion, my first pair of long trousers at the age of ten, my first party kiss, my first girlfriend, my first sexual encounter, my first job, my first marriage, my first house, my first child, my first death in the family and my first divorce. All are events in my life which had a significant impact upon me at the time and shaped the person I now am.
My greatest of twin impacts came however in old age. Around my 70th year of life I found Sheila, my first soul mate in life, and shortly after we married, I first received news of my terminal illness. What a tragic thing to happen you might think, but let me honestly assure you that you couldn't be farther from the truth. For it was the finding of my soul mate that led me towards truly finding God in my life once more and finding a greater peace and happiness that I have ever known or any man could hope to own. As I go into hospital again today for my three-weekly blood transfusions, I know that I hold the world in my hands and my life in its balance, and I intend to hold on for as long as God wills it." William Forde: August 26th, 2015.