A debut author who studied three degrees in Nottingham has sadly passed away before the publication of her first and final book. Olivia Norfolk, 34, of Somerset, sadly passed away on May 19, 2022 after years battling an aggressive meningioma tumour.
Olivia studied Ecology at the University of Nottingham, where she completed her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, in addition to a PHD. She then went on to be a field assistant at Bristol University where she looked at urban pollination and she was later a lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge.
Her mum, Selena Gray, explained that Olivia had always had a passion for nature, wildlife and the environment, and that's why she decided to study zoology. She said: "she grew up in the country, so although we are only five miles from Bristol it's quite rural so she was surrounded by nature growing up.
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We also went on a Safari Holiday when she was 14, it was a very special holiday to celebrate and she was transfixed by the animals, the nature of the Maasai Mara, the space, the wildlife, and I think it all made a very profound and deep impression on her." However, Olivia sadly suffered a rare eye cancer when she was four months old, called retina blastoma.
She received treatment but after a recurrence of the cancer she was treated with radiotherapy at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London when she was one year old. Selena said: "At that time we thought she was going to die because she was one and the tumour had come back.
"The radiotherapy saved her life, but unfortunately the radiotherapy then gave her the brain tumour which she ultimately died from. She had 33 years that we didn't think she would have."
During her studies in Nottingham, Olivia went to the Sinai Desert where she got to explore "very unique parts of the Sinai desert where they build dams and catch the rain and have gardens, so even though it's this rocky desert they have oasis'." Selena added that Olivia had "always wanted to write about the Sinai desert."
Her book 'Once upon a Blue Moon' is an inspiring story of the desert region she explored, and took Olivia two years to write. She started writing the book when she went to Jacksonville, USA, to receive proton therapy.
Selena said: "At that point her sight was really deteriorating so she started to learn to use software to write so she could keep doing her job, as she went totally blind by the end. She started writing it, so she wrote all about the Sinai desert and then wrote about her illness as well.
"I think the book is really beautiful. It's a book about life and living and celebration, about what you can pack in and love for life."
Olivia's brother, Tim Norfolk, added: "I've not felt emotionally ready to read it yet, so it's sitting there waiting for when I have the courage to read through it. She loved her work and her academia and was passionate about what she was trying to achieve, and that we could improve the world for the better and that we should do as we have a duty to protect the planet.
"She was kind, she was a lovely sister and she managed her illness with amazing fortitude. With years of decline she never moaned or complained.
"She was a wonderful person and would have had a lot more to contribute. She loved her life and she had a great time whilst she was here."
One of Olivia's supervisors from the University of Nottingham, Francis Gilbert, said: "Olivia was a brilliant Masters and PhD student with a great academic career ahead of her, doing what she loved - teaching and researching to bring about a sustainable future for the Earth."
Olivia's book is now sold by Amazon, Waterstones and directly from Sparsile Books.
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