“We can all benefit from words of comfort at different stages in our lives and things are really tough for so many at the moment.”
A Walsall Healthcare Respiratory Consultant has put together a book of inspirational readings and messages that he hopes will help people through difficult times.
Dr Max Matonhodze, a father-of-four, has just had his book Vessels of Excellence published. He is a preacher whose belief in God has proved both enlightening and soothing over the years but he is keen to stress that potential readers do not need to have a faith to appreciate its contents.
“I know through speaking to my family, friends, colleagues and patients that we all have moments of sadness, confusion or fear,” he explained.
“There have been times when we just don’t know where to turn and we can feel overwhelmed. This was the motivation for me to compile inspirational words into a book that I hope will help others. I can’t guarantee a problem will go away but sometimes words can resonate with us and strike such a chord that we can feel reassured.
“We can all benefit from words of comfort at different stages in our lives and things are really tough for so many at the moment.”
Dr Max will be selling some copies of his book, at £20 each, through the Fundraising Hub at Walsall Manor Hospital, with a proportion of the proceeds boosting the Trust’s Well Wishers charity. Pop along Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm to pick up a copy. The first ten copies sold will have been signed by the author.
He will also be holding a book stand on Wednesday 21 December, 11.30am to 2pm in main atrium at the bottom of the escalators.
Vessels of Excellence is not the first time Dr Max has ventured into print. He was involved in the striking Black County Lungs project which produced a photo book featuring moving testimonies from patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
He worked on a collaboration between Multistory, Dutch photographer Corinne Noordenbos, patients, experts from Public Health and partners such as Sandwell Community Respiratory Service.
Patients were recorded and photographed in hospital as well as their own homes and spoke openly and honestly about living with COPD to feature in the book designed by Ben Weaver. And Walsall Manor Hospital hosted an exhibition of artwork from the project.