The story of 26 year-old Adrian Sudbury - journalist, cancer victim, and award-winning blogger - continues to progress in remarkable leaps.

Sudbury, a reporter for the Huddersfield Express and Chronicle Series and the Huddersfield Examiner, will be named multimedia journalist of the year today at the UK Regional Press Awards. Due to his weakened health Sudbury will not attend; his family will accept the award in his honor.

"It's going to be really emotional," said Neil Benson, Trinity Mirror's regional editorial director.

Sudbury's story began in November 2006 at the Huddersfield Examiner, where he had just been promoted to the prestigious position of digital journalist. After two days at his new job, Sudbury called in sick; within a week, he was diagnosed with two types of leukemia. Sudbury, according to the medical literature, is the only person in the world with this condition.

Sudbury created Baldy's Blog soon after his diagnosis, documenting his experience as a leukemia patient with poignant candor.

"It's sad when they [visitors] leave - their lives carry on while mine is on hold. Night times are the worst: I can't sleep and one image I can't get out of my head is watching a film of my own funeral. The camera follows the coffin into the church and then pans around to my parents, who are inconsolable," Sudbury writes in a posting from Christmas 2006.

The Trinity Mirror, publisher of over 150 regional newspapers, including Sudbury's Huddersfield Examiner, quickly got behind their cancer-stricken employee. The Trinity Mirror's papers covered Sudbury's story, promoting his blog online. Their efforts paid off - Sudbury's blog became a sensation.

"It's unusual because our titles are about local news and now this guy from Yorkshire's in papers all around the country," said Benson.

Interest in Sudbury continues to grow. According to Benson, Sudbury's blog is the Trinity Mirror's most popular by "a factor of 10 or 15." Sudbury has won local, national, and international press awards, and his readership has expanded from family members and close friends to readers in the Middle East and North America, some of whom are cancer patients themselves.

"There are people all over the world in similar condition as Adrian who I imagine are drawing quite a lot of strength from his writing," Benson said.

When not writing on his blog Sudbury is advocating for bone marrow donations, appearing on television and meeting with politicians, including UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, to raise information about the potentially lifesaving procedure. And though Sudbury's health deteriorates - he recently decided to discontinue treatment after his cancer returned - his work and his will persist.

"I can't beat this leukaemia but I can make a difference, I'm making the most of every breath I have left, I am spending time with some of the most wonderful friends and family anyone could ask to share their lives with; but more importantly I'm going down in style," Sudbury writes.

Source: Trinity Mirror