The Stars Will Still Be There: What Losing My Daughter Taught Me about Love, Life and Hope

’Heartbreaking and inspiring in equal measure. A must-read.’ Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester

’Nicola is a beautiful human being and her story is full of the joys and sorrows of humanity.’ Cathy Rentzenbrink

The inspiring, life-affirming memoir from Nicola Nuttall about her incredible daughter Laura

’The words were like a wave in the sea that lifted me off my feet, unmoored and scrabbling for something solid to hold me up, but the sand had fallen away, and I was adrift. The sea was vast, and I was lost and utterly numb.’

When Nicola Nuttall was told that her 18-year-old daughter Laura had only 12 months to live, following a diagnosis of the most aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme, it was her greatest fear come true. But while her mother struggled to adjust and searched for new treatments, Laura decided to embark on an extraordinary bucket list. Meeting Michelle Obama, piloting a Royal Navy ship, skydiving and graduating from university were just some of Laura’s many incredible adventures.

The Stars Will Still Be There is Nicola’s beautiful account of helping her daughter make the most of her remaining time, reminding us all to live life to the fullest and ’Be More Laura’ every single day.

Nicola Nuttall is the proud mum of Laura and Gracie, and lives in Barrowford, Lancashire, where she runs Giddy Kippers, an indoor play centre, with her husband, Mark. Since losing Laura to the aggressive brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), Nicola has become a passionate fundraiser, speaker and campaigner, raising awareness of the cancer and working with charities such as the Brain Tumour Charity and Brain Tumour Research to call for better, kinder treatments for those diagnosed with brain tumours. Nicola can be found on X (Twitter) as @shitscaredmum, the account she set up as an outlet for the rollercoaster of emotions experienced while caring for her daughter. She is a trustee of the charity Our Brain Bank and runs the Be More Laura Foundation, which funds research into glioblastoma. She also runs the website www.bemorelaura.com, where further information on many of the issues covered in this book can be found.