At 24 years of age, Graeme Kennedy had just experienced the death of his partner after a long illness. As his partner's caregiver, Graeme was at Neil's side as he was transformed from an athletic bodybuilder and talented photographer to a man who could barely walk up a hill without assistance. Yet this small-town farm boy and former Mr Gay New Zealand's tragic loss was the beginning of a spiritual awakening for him, the story of which he intersperses with his life experience in the new book Rise Chris Banks - 25th August 2003