With Hope in Your Heart: Jurgen Klopp pens foreword for Seán Cox book
The heartbreak and hope of Seán Cox's story will be told in a new book featuring a foreword from Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
With Hope in Your Heart is written by Martina Cox, the wife of Liverpool fan Seán, a father-of-three from Dunboyne, Co Meath, who sustained a severe brain injury in a brutal, unprovoked attack outside Anfield in April 2018.
That 17-second assault before a Champions League semi-final left Seán in need of full-time medical care and unlikely to walk again. He finds speech and many other daily tasks very challenging.
His family has acted with determination to give Seán the best treatments possible to ensure he can live as normal a life as possible. He returned to the family home for the first time in almost two years last March, just as the coronavirus lockdown took hold.
"I often get asked about leadership in football but in 'real life' I can think of no greater example of what a leader is than Seán’s wife, Martina," writes Klopp.
"I have followed what she has done for her husband and her family and it has humbled me."
The memoir, written with Newstalk journalist Susan Keogh, will touch on the support from their local community in Ireland, as well as from Liverpool, where Seán was remembered during the recent title celebrations by their CEO Peter Moore. A banner honouring Seán has been placed on the Kop end for the remainder of this season.
At home, Seán is surrounded by the love and support of his family and a team of carers every day, and Martina is hopeful for the future.
"The last two years have been unimaginably difficult but our love for Seán and determination that he gets the best care possible has kept us going," she said.
"It has been an uphill battle but he is making progress every day.
"The book emphasises how, with the help of family, community, Liverpool, and tens of thousands of people across the world who were touched by Seán’s story, we have achieved what was thought to be impossible and we are so grateful for that."
"This is a remarkable story of turning heartbreak into hope," said Gill Books commissioning editor Sarah Liddy.
"Readers will be in awe of Martina’s strength and determination to get the best care for her husband in the face of incredible challenges. At its heart, this is a love story. The kind of love that conquers all."
With Hope in Your Heart will be released on Friday, October 23. It can be pre-ordered here.
