HER dream was always to care, help and look after people.
And even in death, Zoe Ward's dream is being realised.
Zoe died aged just 33, after battling lung cancer which then spread to her brain.
The Hull mum, who had been studying to be a nurse, kept a diary of her treatment.
Now, parts of her diary and her husband David's own experiences and thoughts have been chronicled in a book called Treasure Boxes, published to raise money for Dove House Hospice, where Zoe died.
"Zoe had always wanted to be a nurse and she would have been brilliant at it," said David, 47.
"I think Zoe would be proud of the book – she always wanted to care for people and this is a way of doing that.
"I hope it can help people, and their relatives and friends, who might be going through a similar thing."
David never read the diary when Zoe was alive and was surprised at some of the things he found out.
"I realised how scared she was," he said.
"She was scared of dying and was worried about leaving the kids.
"But she'd always put on such a brave face to everyone."
Between them, the couple had six children – Daniel, 20, Andrew, 18, Bethany, 18, Ben, 16, Jade, 13, and 11-year-old Ella – and they live with David at their home in west Hull.
Pictures of happier times are published in the book, including the couple's wedding day in July 2009 and the family's first holiday together in Euro Disney in 2006.
Family life was important to Zoe, and even formed the inspiration for the book's title.
"Zoe left memory boxes for everyone to remember her when she passed away," said David.
"They are full of little mementos like the children's baby tags and photographs."
The book explains how the couple met and how David proposed.
It then moves on to when Zoe was diagnosed and shifts to extracts from her diary.
It then moves back to David, with Zoe's funeral and the months after she had passed away.
"I hope it helps people, and their relatives, understand what happens during treatment," said David.
"I want them to know they aren't alone.
"Some things Zoe went through, she'd then speak to the doctors and they'd say 'Oh yes, that's one of the side effects' but she wasn't to know that.
"Of course, everybody is different, but this might help explain a few things."
David admits that writing the book with ghostwriter Grace Macaskill was a difficult task.
"The beginning bit on how we met, right up until her diagnosis, I loved writing," said David.
"I loved remembering all those happy moments we had together.
"But the diary was really sad – she'd handwritten it, so I typed it all up for hours and hours.
"Putting my thoughts down was very sad.
"The book is actually a lot shorter than the diary, but we wanted to keep it quite fast flowing.
"When I went to pick it up from the printers, there were butterflies in my stomach."
The book has now been on the Kindle website for a few weeks and from Saturday – the day before Father's Day – it will be sold at Waterstones in Hull.
Profits will be donated to Dove House Hospice, where Zoe died in January 2011.
"I'm putting six-and-a-half years of our life together out into the public, so it is quite scary in that respect," said David.
"There are some things in the book that make me cringe a little.
"But if we hadn't have put those things in, you wouldn't have got a true perspective of what happened.
"Those bits mean the book really is true to life.
"The money from sales is going to Dove House Hospice – I cannot thank them enough for what they did for us.
"They cared for Zoe when she was dying and also helped our family after she had gone.
"I had some counselling there and some of the children did some of the music therapy sessions.
"But it isn't just the doctors who care – everyone from the cleaners and cooks to the medical people really look after you."
Tomorrow, the book will be hitting the shelves.
A total of 300 copies have been printed so far, but David says he does not have a goal in mind and just wants to raise as much money as he can for Dove House Hospice.
"Zoe was inspirational – everyone who came across her thought she was amazing," said David.
"She touched so many people's lives.
"I hope the book has created a legacy for her, but can also help other people cope who are in a similar situation.
"I also hope it inspires people to live and not waste their lives. Life is too short."
