It was the heyday of the Celtic Tiger. Money was no problem and three successful young businessmen, Damian, Mark and Michael, chartered a helicopter to travel from their homes in Galway to the Tall Ships race in Waterford in July 2005. But on their way back to the west the pilot lost his way because of fog and the helicopter crashed in a forested area on the northern slopes of Slieve Aughty.

According to the air accident investigation: 'The helicopter made initial contact with the trees on a heading of approx 080° at steep angle descent and possibly a high nose down angle.' The helicopter disintegrated. The pilot and passengers seemed doomed. Against all the odds one man survived the impact. The injuries to Michael Gibbons's head, limbs and body were horrific and he will never completely recover, but he did surive.

Survival is the subject of this riveting book: painfully reconstructing his life, learning to walk again, learning to learn again after serious brain injury, dealing with lawyers, doctors and insurance companies in the High Court as well as other complicated business affairs. And realising that there is nothing more important than survival.