Brian Fraser’s autobiography, One Step at a Time, chronicles his battle with leukemia

A book chronicling 580 CFRA technical producer Brian Fraser’s battle with leukemia—and the legacy he left through his bravery and advocacy—has been released.

Fraser, 26, died of acute lymphocytic leukemia in February 2021 after a two-year battle with the disease. One Step at a Time is the story of the Brockville, Ont. native’s battle with leukemia, including his initial diagnosis and the harrowing details of treatment.

Fraser worked on the book in the final few months of his life. His mother Sheila Fraser said she was initially unsure about the project.

“I wasn’t super supportive while he was writing it, because he was so sick, and I wanted him to rest. I didn’t share his confidence that it would come to anything, so I really wanted him to just rest and sleep and be free of pain,” she told CTV Morning Live on Monday.

“Now looking back, I can see now with time having passed that he was 26 and he wanted to leave something, and so he created something to leave.”

Fraser died midway through the writing process, and he was unable to document several major events in the last few months of his life. In the second half of the book, his friend and colleague Callum Fraser (no relation) takes over the writing.

He chronicles how Brian became a poster child for blood donation in Canada, and examines his legacy among his friends, family and the larger community.

“He wanted to be so honest with people,” Callum Fraser said. “He FaceTimed me in December of 2020 and like every single conversation we had after he was first diagnosed, it was just so honest. He said ‘We’re going to talk about a lot of things in this book that are ugly…that are really difficult.’”

Added Rick Fraser, Brian’s father: “Being candid was one of his traits.”

Fraser was thrust into the national spotlight when he advocated for blood donation live from hospital room on CTV News in March 2020. After his call to arms, the Canadian Blood Services website crashed due to high traffic.

He became a steadfast advocate for blood donation for the rest of his life. Brian’s parents say they want readers to be aware of leukemia and the importance of giving blood.

“It saves lives,” Sheila said.

You can buy a copy of the book here. You can visit the Canadian Blood Services website for information on donating blood.