Mulligan - Dear friend: letters of encouragement, humor, and love for women with breast cancer

Copyright 2017 by Girls Love Mail. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available. ISBN 978-1-4521-6342-0 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4521-6349-9 (epub2, mobi)
ISBN 978-1-4521-6623-0 (epub3) Art direction by Vanessa Dina
Design by Lizzie Vaughan Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107
www.chroniclebooks.com

THIS BOOK IS FOR the women who fight;
the families and friends
who hold steady;
the coworkers who listen;
the volunteers who raise
money and awareness;
the health professionals
who wont give up; and
those who came before.

Yet the gentle beauty of a handwritten letter seems largely forgotten in our age of text messages and emails. After working for five years on a novel comprised entirely of letters, I felt connected to what I consider the lost art of letter writing. However, not until I was diagnosed with breast cancer did I understand that a few words on paper are more than a keepsake. A handwritten letter is a gift with the ultimate power to heal and inspire. Hearing I had cancer was a frightening shock, but what happened in the following weeks changed my perspective on kindness: I began receiving letters and cards from friends of friends, strangers. People Id never met took time to tell me I was a hero, a warrior, a survivor.

Their support filled me with hope and reminded me that I wasnt alone. Once I beat cancer, I knew what I had to do. In August 2011, I set out with the mission of getting handwritten letters of encouragement to women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. My husband and I wrote letters at our kitchen table, and then we roped in family and friends to help. We donated the letters to breast cancer centers who gave them to their patients. As we shared our message, people responded.

Hundreds, then thousands of letters began coming in from around the country and then from around the world. By simply asking, caring individuals of all ages and backgrounds wrote heartfelt, beautiful words to encourage you, their friend in spirit. The idea for this collection began when an extraordinary letter again touched my life. On simple white stationery was a note from an oncology nurse. For over twenty years, shed cared for women with breast cancer and now she was a patient in her own clinic. Rather than focus on the irony or injustice, she wanted nothing more than to use her diagnosis to make her an even better caretaker.

Not only could she answer her patients medical questions, but now, for the first time, she experienced their distress. She felt blessed for her understanding, and even while undergoing her own arduous chemotherapy, she set aside time to visit patients, the women she called sisters. The best in humanity cant be ignored. There was more we could do. The letters in this book were written by survivors and their family members, friends, colleagues, and others wanting to encourage you, a breast cancer warrior. Some of the letters are profound, as letter writers share their personal struggles and heartaches in order to express deep appreciation for your journey.

Others are lighthearted and fun so you can take a breath or set aside your cares for a few moments. There are even funny letters to make you laugh. Laughter is fine medicine, indeed. Even though we live in a fast-paced society, I hope these words lift your spirits, help you heal, and remind you that youre never alone. Through these handwritten letters, we are all connected and together we fight, united. GiNa L.

MulliGaN FOUNDER OF GIRLS LOVE MAIL