Red Lodge teenager pens book 'in secret' to help others deal with 'the pain of loss'

A Suffolk teenage author is hoping to raise money for kidney research with a book he wrote during the summer – in secret.

Alex Endean, 17, from Red Lodge, penned The Pain of Loss, in memory of his stepdad, Warren, who died of kidney failure, aged 43, in December 2015.

Aged 10 at the time, Alex said at first he found the loss hard to understand. But a few year later, grief took hold, mixed with the angst of his teenage years, and he still get tearful now.

Alex wrote the book in secret this summer. It’s now been released on Amazon and Alex hopes it will help others dealing with the emotions that surround losing a loved one.

“I only knew my stepdad for a short time but he was an inspiring person, who lit up the room and completed our family,” said Alex, a pupil at Mildenhall College Academy.

“Warren didn’t even know he was suffering kidney failure and after being taken into hospital, he died three weeks later, on the day he was due to come home.

“Mum was pregnant with my sister, Willow, at the time, and it was an awful time. I still miss him now and get tearful and I thought writing the book would help, and be therapy.

“I am studying psychology and English literature at college and also thought writing the book may be a way of helping to raise fund for kidney research, which I have always wanted to do since his death.”

Alex wrote for six hours a day during the summer and says the book took around 100 hours to write. He told his mum Natasha, he was working on a report for school because he wanted to keep it secret.

The first chapter tells his own story of learning to live with loss, the second shares Alex’s research into grief, and the third and fourth chapters, offer help on dealing with grief itself.

“I think the main lesson is that people need to feel it is okay to talk about their emotions,” he said.

“There have been various theories around grief and the stages people go through but I think this is the biggest lesson.”

The Pain of Loss: An account and exploration of grief by a teenage griever, is available on Amazon, priced at £3.50 for the Kindle edition and £5 for the paperback. All proceeds go to Kidney Research UK.

You can buy the book here