Manchester-based author Pete Mackenzie Hodge has announced that Delirium Diaries, his first published book detailing his second unlikely survival in the ICU during a near-fatal illness, followed by the drama and sometimes comic absurdity of deep psychosis, will be released on 28th October 2024.
Out of nowhere, during the early, frightening stages of the pandemic over Christmas 2020, Pete found himself being blue lit to hospital after a mystery bacterial infection of the lung quickly and viciously led to double pneumonia and sepsis. Within a matter of hours, he was placed in an induced coma for 12 days with an uncertain chance of coming out alive; his story from there, to battling home to his young family is nothing short of remarkable.
This isn’t the first time that Pete has faced a near death experience and lived to tell the tale; in late 2008 as a 22-year-old, he was suddenly diagnosed with bone cancer, again developing sepsis and given a 50/50 chance of survival, before having his leg amputated in early 2009, defeating cancer, and fighting his way back to full health.
Written following a chance meeting with Steve Coogan, and offering hope for a post-COVID readership seeking connection and understanding, Delirium Diaries explores the contrast between the comfort of home and the sterile hospital environment, from an innocent wild swim to an induced coma. Pete shares a tale of love and resilience, emphasising the power of sheer grit and determination in defying the odds.
In an era shaped by the aftermath of COVID-19, this memoir provides insight into the human experience, bridging the gap between curiosity and understanding amidst the chaos of uncertainty and upheaval.
Pete Mackenzie Hodge says: “The pure terror of facing the second near death experience of my young life is something that I wanted to channel into helping others. It happened during a time when society was petrified and hospitals were on their knees, and I felt like my story represented hope and the fact that you have the ability to defeat any opponent if you want it badly enough.
“During a chance meeting with one of my heroes, Steve Coogan, I was lucky enough to have a long conversation with him covering all sorts of topics – music, lockdown, the Lake District. It wasn’t until we started talking about my recent illness that Coogan raised the idea of me writing about what I had just gone through.
“I Initially wrote the book as a therapeutic exercise. Being in and coming out of a coma is a very traumatic event. I found writing to be a helpful aid to my recovery as I attempted to re-piece the jigsaw pieces of my brain / mind, to heal myself and try to separate the reality and fiction of the world around me to the hallucinogenic, vivid dreams I experienced during my illness.”
