This book is my story of how I came face-to-face with the devastating illness of depression and in particular postnatal depression, as I witnessed my wife suffer the traumatic effects that victims of this disease are subjected to.

She had suffered from depression before we met and most severely after the birth of our first daughter, which is the first time I experienced its ferocious intensity.

By sharing the story of our relationship from first meeting to present day, I hope to enlighten the reader by offering, unusually, the male perspective on postnatal depression and in a wider context, help sufferers to understand the plight of their partner.

This book is not intended to provoke feelings of pity or sympathy. It is my hope that people in similar situations will be able to relate and identify with these experiences and gain some insight or reflection into their individual encounters.

The complex nature of mental illness and postnatal depression has resulted in it remaining largely misunderstood, stigmatised and hidden from the public gaze. The reality of the experience is seldom shared. Being a male, I found it difficult to express my innermost thoughts. Help in the form of documented experiences was largely unavailable, thus my idea of sharing my own story was born. By doing this, I felt I could help others in similar situations, as well as indulge my own need for emotional release. Cathartic and therapeutic at the time, I hope the underlying sentiments will reach many people, as they largely mirror any encounter with mental illness.

Ultimately, this book is a tribute and salute to my wife for all she has endured. She is the heroine of the story, overcoming adversity and taking control of her destiny without succumbing to a life-long battle with depression. I am immensely proud and honoured to be her husband and could never have married anyone else. I know that whatever challenges lie ahead, we have many years to look forward to. She is my soul mate and my world.