Winning the Anne Brown Essay Prize

I entered the Anne Brown Prize after reading Dani Garavelli’s sensitive essay ‘The Bequest’, which reflected on her Italian-Scottish heritage. At the time, I was writing responses to my own Jewish heritage. I write as a way of coping, but in this case I was also trying to do something positive that might act as a memorial to a short life. My baby nephew Joshua died from HHT, a rare genetic blood condition he and I share with multiple other members of the family, including my mum and brother. 90% of people with HHT remain undiagnosed and there has never been a book published in the UK about the condition. I wanted to write that book, in Joshua’s name.