Cancer Survivors

Emily Guerra · Post by **Emily Guerra** » 02 Apr 2019, 00:26

diana lowery wrote: ↑29 Mar 2019, 06:10 Well, now I am intrigued. I am a cancer survivor - several times: two breast cancers, one kidney cancer, and some skin cancers. With my first breast cancer in 1985, I did one out of four chemo treatments and refused the rest. I opted for no chemo after my second breast cancer in 2016. I may have to read this book to be able to avoid any more loss of body parts.

You are a true warrior, Diana! A very strong woman. I'm impressed with all that you've been through. I just want to tell you that there's a lot of options to treat cancer that doesn't include poisoning your body with chemicals or going for surgery. Just don't give up! You've been through so much, and there's still hope you will live a pain-free and cancer-free life. I really hope this book helps you and that you may take out good information from it.

We certainly don't know each other but I want to send you a big warm hug.

Greeting from Honduras!

Post by **Diana Lowery** » 02 Apr 2019, 06:51

Thank you for the hug!

lisalynn · Post by **lisalynn** » 05 Apr 2019, 11:27

It's tough to predict how any one treatment will affect any one individual. Every human body is different, and the key is to find the treatment that works for you. Unfortunately, this takes a lot of trial and error in a situation where there may not be that much time. As patients work through all the alternatives, the fact that there are many choices is encouraging.

Post by **Sanju Lali** » 06 Apr 2019, 03:00

I know the panic of the family when one of its member is diagnosed positive for cancer because few of my close friends had to bear that trauma. Everyone's experience may be quite different, but this book may tell what went right and what went wrong and makes one prepared to face for future problems.

NicholsC97 · Post by **NicholsC97** » 10 Apr 2019, 14:51

I have a few family members, cousins mostly, who are battling various types of cancer and they refused to read this book because of the title. Honestly, in my personal opinion, as long as the big pharmacy companies can make a lot off of cancer I don't think that they'll give a sure fire cure even if one is found. Human greed is a truly terrifying sin.

EvaDar · Post by **EvaDar** » 23 Apr 2019, 15:16

diana lowery wrote: ↑29 Mar 2019, 06:10 Well, now I am intrigued. I am a cancer survivor - several times: two breast cancers, one kidney cancer, and some skin cancers. With my first breast cancer in 1985, I did one out of four chemo treatments and refused the rest. I opted for no chemo after my second breast cancer in 2016. I may have to read this book to be able to avoid any more loss of body parts.

I am a breast cancer survivor, Diana, and I did choose chemo. I don't know your personal reasoning for refusing the chemo the second time around, but I really support that decision. Chemo had long-term debilitating effects for me and I would not choose it again. So glad you have moved beyond this disease several times. You are a thriver. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Post by **Diana Lowery** » 24 Apr 2019, 05:33

It sounds like you are a thriver, too. I think the decision to do chemo is different for each individual. I am happy you survived your ordeal and wish you lots of healthy days.

shravsi · Post by **shravsi** » 27 Jul 2019, 21:47

I don't think this book would hurt anyone. I lost a family member for cancer. What I can tell is no one tells the survivors what to do after therapy. This book covers that topic.

Felicity Granger · Post by **Felicity Granger** » 07 Sep 2019, 15:15

I have two relatives who are cancer survivors and after hearing them talk about their journey and experience, I would definitely recommend this book to them. I don't think they'd feel slighted in the least, because most of the non-traditional methods explored in this book were actually a part of their recovery process. They also stuck with mainstream medicine - it was a matter of balancing between the two and knowing what would personally suit their tastes.

Liana Mayhew · Post by **Liana Mayhew** » 28 Sep 2019, 19:30

I have lost many family members to cancer. I wish I could have read this book sooner. I'm sure this will help so many in the future.

readerrihana · Post by **readerrihana** » 16 Feb 2020, 09:21

I think that since so many of us now have known people, or had some experience of cancer, writing about it and writing about survivors of cancer, the methods they used, and how they dealt with it is very helpful to all. It could even save a life,

So thanks so much to the author and may all those who have been fighting with cancer find their cures,

YeuxDeux · Post by **YeuxDeux** » 31 Mar 2020, 15:45

I have metastatic breast cancer and was diagnosed de novo stage 4 (de novo means from the beginning) because I have dense breasts. Oncologists cannot tell the difference between breast tissue from a tumor. My cancer spread initially to my bones, then my liver and my duodenum. I’m in my 5th year since diagnosis - in fact most people, both men and women, diagnosed with MBC die within the first 2.4 years from diagnosis. I am fortunate to have responded to some of the new therapies well. But I know eventually I will die from this disease. I have a blog at cancerbus - do a search on google you’ll find me - which I invite anyone to read even those without cancer. I plan to catapult my blog into a book, like Nancy Stordahl, who is a dear friend. The metastatic community is a small close knit one: close because we support one another globally, and small because we lose so many every year.

I’m hoping to review cancer books here on the forum as well as philosophical and spiritual books. The books our small club reads but that others should read too, especially in the time of Covid19. You’ll understand why we stay home when flu season hits hard and when a deadly virus runs rampant.

Wear a mask and gloves if you have to go out and stay home if you don’t.

nicole0bray · Post by **nicole0bray** » 20 Apr 2020, 09:32

I am not a cancer survivor myself but recently studied a module on reading illness. I looked at different illness narratives with a focus on cancer patients such as Grealy, Lucy: Autobiography of a Face and
Lorde, Audre: The Cancer Journals. It's especially interesting to compare these illness narratives to the lesser-known Sylvie, Beljanski: Winning the war on cancer. I find that exploring the different perspectives given in illness narratives about illness not only by exploring the types of losses it generates but the different ways in which pain is articulated, and how the experience of illness affects patients’ sense of self. The choices of a patient are usually at the forefront of an illness novel and the choices made in Winning the war in cancer are an example to many others who read the book. A few cancer survivors in this forum have spoken about if they had read this book before undergoing treatment they would have made different choices. This is the importance of illness narratives: to voice pain and give importance to this voice.

Erandi Ekanayake · Post by **Erandi Ekanayake** » 11 May 2020, 06:18

I have an aunt who has been struggling hard to win the war of cancer for a long period of time. So I think cancer patients will definitely find this book very much beneficial.