As a Kite Falls : A Voyage Through Descent

A personal and raw journey of finding hope within the darkest of times. The true story of Richard Tyler: West End star turned therapist, bestselling author, motivational speaker, given three months to live. A life in two parts: the flight and the fall. Richard’s reflections on the pure beauty of both and our need to accept descent must be read.

We have become fixated on ascent in our lives: achieving more, being quicker, and rising up. But what if we are missing the richest life lessons by repressing the difficulties we experience? Both ascent and descent are vital in life. Yet, whilst we are educated on how best to ascend, it is rare we are supported as we descend. Instead, we are encouraged to hide those times from ourselves and others. Richard’s descent was epic. From playing lead roles on West-End stages to receiving a diagnosis of three months to live with a rare cancer. In this heartfelt and moving story, Richard offers a glimpse into his year of monumental descent. He invites us to accompany him as he navigates loss, grief, and heartache in a tale of the beauty and the ugliness of the human condition. How, when illness struck, unexpected love and compassion became the secret healer. Something Richard was determined to share by setting up a charity for others with blood cancer. As a Kite Falls offers food for thought and medicine for the soul. Richard’s humility, humour, and grace shine through on every page. He uses the flow of the seasons and the deceptively simple art of haiku to bring us closer to the importance of space and pause in our lives. Richard’s training in psychotherapy adds a deeper layer of understanding of what it means to be human, while acknowledging that none of us can truly make sense of the load others carry. In a world drowning in noise, As a Kite Falls gifts us a place of quietening down to listen to our own whispers.