Necessary to Life ─ A Memoir of Devotion, Cancer and Abundant Love

Vilified by the media and threatened with the loss of her children for her outspoken non-monogamous lifestyle, Louisa Leontiades is, unbeknownst to the outside world, being defeated by mundanity. Four years of caring for toddlers and living in tracksuits has left her anxious, exhausted and virtually celibate. Her partner, Morten, falls in love with Yasmin, whose conservative Muslim family will never allow them to be together unless he leaves Louisa. Louisa herself falls for Janus, a terminal cancer patient looking for a mother for his children before he dies?and who has no intention of becoming a part of Louisa’s own family. As Louisa and Morten seem poised to be torn apart, Louisa learns she has a potentially fatal tumour. Should she start a family with Janus (if she lives)? Would Yasmin make a good stepmother for her children (if she dies)? Escaping the prosaic ache of the commonplace will put Louisa and her family through heartbreak, tragedy and confrontation with the ever-present spectre of death. Necessary to Life takes an unflinching look at the importance of seizing the moment and the costs of following your heart.