The world is full of inspirational people – famous men and women who have made a lasting contribution to a more progressive and inclusive society, and whose wisdom has and continues to shape future generations. Their messages of hope, encouragement and insight are carried by an eager media, and further disseminated via social media by millions of devoted followers. But what about the inspirational people we don’t hear about? The everyday heroes whose contribution to society is no less extraordinary but is conducted with a quiet, self-effacing dignity outside of the media spotlight? 9781628737615People, perhaps, like Fran Macilvey, the author of the gripping new memoir, ‘Trapped: My Life with Cerebral Palsy’. Born prematurely in Congo in 1965, Macilvey was temporarily deprived of oxygen and later diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a debilitating condition that affects one-in-four hundred children. Common symptoms include reduced muscle development, movement and speech. From a young age, there were questions – fears - about her future. How will she cope? But as this extraordinary autobiography reveals, Macilvey refused to just ‘cope’ with her disability – she confronted it. Trapped: My Life with Cerebral Palsy charts the author’s inspirational, real-life story. From a childhood in central Africa, to the family’s upheaval to Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1972, Trapped…discloses – often in candid detail – the physical and emotional challenges she has faced along the way. She endured the things that every parent fears most – physical pain, emotional helplessness, continuous hospital visits. Her eight years at boarding school saw matters come to a head, when her feelings towards her disability manifested in anger, self-hatred and suicidal depression. But beneath all this lay a strong woman with relentless determination to overcome the odds and to defy those who had pre-determined her life - she wanted to do things her way. Macilvey became a solicitor. And a mum. Trapped…is variously heart-warming, terribly sad and emotional. Above all, it is uplifting.  She comes to terms with her condition and finally learns to love herself. Far from a ‘misery memoir’, Trapped… is a message of inspiration. It’s about why everyone should never give up hope. Trapped: My Life With Cerebral Palsy  is out now (Skyhorse Publishing) in hardcover.