A love of her job inspired a South Wiltshire vet to write down a record of her experiences over the past four decades working with animals.

Sue Devereux qualified as a vet in 1983 and, after working in both mixed practice and equine, she now specialises in equine acupuncture and chiropractic. She has been writing down and stashing away a plethora of anecdotes about her experiences over the years and some of the barriers she faced, not only as the new kid on the block but as one of a minority of female vets on the scene in the early days.

Sue had always intended to one day write a book telling these stories but was never quite sure how to do it. It was only after two diagnoses of breast cancer and the desire to convey her gratitude for all the wonderful care she received at Salisbury District Hospital, that she felt compelled to put pen to paper.

"I love my job," she tells me. "And I love telling stories about all the wonderful [and not so wonderful] experiences I've had. The book is a sort of tribute to the people who’ve helped me."

"The first half is a collection of veterinary stories. I’d wanted to write a book for a long time but was keen to make it a bit different from James Herriott and didn’t know how to do that. I’d had all these stories written down and stashed away for years and then when I got the breast cancer diagnosis I suddenly realised this was a starting point, I can be looking back over my life and then tell the story of what it was like as a cancer patient but also do my work as well."

Sue gives credit to the entire breast cancer care team: “The surgeons, the nurses, the reception staff, they were all so kind, welcoming, friendly and reassuring and took care of me.”

An incredibly positive person, Sue was keen to give something back for the care she had received and decided, before she had even started writing the book, that she would give every single penny of the profit to the hospital's Stars Appeal charity.

After she had finished her cancer treatment in 2010, Sue was asked if she could talk and share her experience, which she was more than a little nervous about. “I'm incredibly shy at stuff like so I said I would think about it. Then I thought ‘for goodness sake Sue, you owe them, get on and do it!' And so I did. And the Stars Appeal team were amazing - they got me talking on the radio and doing all sorts of things I wouldn’t normally have had the confidence to do. But if I hadn’t have done it, I wouldn’t have been able to raise awareness of the charity."

She is also grateful for the breast cancer care unit, funded by the Stars Appeal, where she was treated after her second diagnosis in 2017.

“I actually helped to fund it,” she proudly reveals. “I did the Walk for Wards when I was completely bald - I could only walk the 3km route but I got the prize for the individual that raised the most money. Between myself and my children (who were teens at the time), we raised £1,500.”

Because of her remarkable fundraising effort, Sue has her name on a plaque in the breast care unit, along with other significant donors who helped to fund it.

“I’m just so happy to have been able to give something back.”

Sue, 65, has now fully recovered and is not intending to retire anytime soon. Horses are a big part of her life - she owns two, rides nearly every day and her hobby is unaffiliated showjumping. Her aim is to jump the perfect 1m clear round.

Her book, aptly named Looking on the Bright Side: A Vet's Tale, is a heart-warming and humourous collection of tales from midnight Caesareans, tricky foal and calf births and coming face to face with an angry German shepherd, to a blue-light ambulance trip to hospital after being clomped on the head by a rearing horse. She encounters untold sexism and disrespect with incredibly good grace. I found it to be a charming and enlightening book about Sue's life as a vet, her motivations for moving into equine acupuncture and chiropractic, followed by her personal journey through breast cancer treatment.

You can buy Looking On The Bright Side: A Vet's Tale from Sue's website equineacupuncture.co.uk/book.html, for £10, with all profits going to the Stars Appeal. It's also available on Amazon, but if you buy it direct from Sue more money will go to the charity!