Jack Canfield - The Cancer Book: 101 Stories of Courage, Support and Love

Praise for
The Cancer Book

For those of us who have been in the cancer club
as survivors or family membersthe stories in this book are not just
brilliant and moving and often funny. They reach down in a variety of
ways and touch us in the deepest place, where fear and hope reside.

~Jonathan Alter, Newsweek

Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cancer Book conveys an impressive
spectrum of cancer stories and poems written by patients, spouses,
children and caregivers.

~Cynthia Nixon, actor and cancer survivor

After I heard those dreaded words, You have cancer,
I found that the stories of fellow survivors offered me and my family
much needed hope. This book serves as a wonderful resource
to those coping with this disease.

~Doug Ulman, three-time cancer survivor and
President/CEO, Lance Armstrong Foundation

Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cancer Book; 101 Stories of Courage, Support & Love by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, David Tabatsky
www.SimonandSchuster.com

Published by Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC www.chickensoup.com

Copyright 2009 by Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

CSS, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and its Logo and Marks are trademarks of Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing LLC.

The publisher gratefully acknowledges the many publishers and individuals who granted Chicken Soup for the Soul permission to reprint the cited material.

Front cover photo courtesy of iStockPhoto.com/Graffizone.

Cover and Interior Design & Layout by Pneuma Books, LLC
For more info on Pneuma Books, visit www.pneumabooks.com

Distributed to the booktrade by Simon & Schuster. SAN: 200-2442

Publishers Cataloging-in-Publication Data
(Prepared by The Donohue Group)

Publishers Cataloging-In-Publication Data
(Prepared by The Donohue Group, Inc.)

Chicken soup for the soul : the cancer book : 101 stories of courage, support & love / [compiled by] Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen [and] David Tabatsky. Its just a word / by Elizabeth Bayer.

p. ; cm.

With: Its just a word / Elizabeth Bayer.
ISBN-13: 978-1-935096-30-6
ISBN-10: 1-935096-30-3
eISBN-13: 978-1-611591-63-7

1. Cancer--Patients--Literary collections. 2. Cancer--Patients--Anecdotes. I. Canfield, Jack, 1944- II. Hansen, Mark Victor. III. Tabatsky, David. IV. Bayer, Elizabeth. Its just a word. V. Title: Cancer book

PN6071.C25 C45 2009
810.8/02/0362196994 2008944059

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
on acidfree paper
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 03 04 05 06 07 08

~Out of the Blue~

~Not So Soon~

~For Better and For Worse~

~Unfinished Business~

~Dreams and Nightmares~

~Partners~

~Loss~

~Fear and Hope~

~Letting Go~

~Into the Light~

To the world you may be one person,
but to one person you may be the world.

~Anonymous

I almost wish this book didnt exist. If nobody had cancer in the first place, the world would be a better place. But the disease rages on in all its incarnations and we deal with it head on.

And deal with it, we do. This book is a testament to that.

101 stories of courage, support, and love is an understatement. Each and every author reveals a unique piece of the human spiritfrom finding strength they never knew they had to feeling an absolute fear of losing control; from discovering what true support and love means to realizing they are all alone; from finding faith to losing it and finding it again. In all of these stories, for better and for worse, we discover that everyone, male and female, young and old, rich and poor, has a story to tell about cancer.

Many of these essays are uplifting while others may not be easy to digest. But all are authentic and honest, and they reflect the staggering reality of the cancer world.

When I was first asked to compile this book, I thought it should contain a cross section of contributors: patients of all ages and backgrounds, their loved ones and friends, doctors and nurses and research technicians, those who have reached good conclusions and those who, unfortunately, have not.

The daunting task of reading all of the submissions became almost unbearable. I found myself absorbing the authors struggles and grew exhausted trying to make sense of it all. But eventually, I became energized by the stories, inspired by these remarkable testimonies. I discovered that cancer affects each of us differently and our reactions are often surprising.

Melissa Sorensen, of Woodbridge, Virginia, wrote of her husband, When youre diagnosed with cancer four times, it is not uncommon for family, friends, and coworkers to share their utter disbelief. I saw shock on peoples faces when Scott would say, Im trying out a few different cancers in hopes of finding one I really like.

Dorian Solot, of Albany, New York, grew used to people staring at her bald head, but one day, when asked by a stranger in a hushed, I-feel-so-sorry-for-you tone, Did you lose your hair? she smiled and replied, Lose my hair? Oh, no. Its just invisible. The stranger stared at her in shock. Then, she started to giggle, and so did Dorian, who wished her a good day and headed out the door.

Bonnie Davidson, of Marion, Massachusetts, struggling with the consequences of her cancer, overheard her daughter telling her boyfriend, My mom has no breasts, no uterus, and no hair, and my dad still loves her. Thats the kind of love I want.

Thats the kind of love I have discovered throughout this book. Now its your turn.

~David Tabatsky