Jimmie Holland - The Human Side of Cancer: Living with Hope, Coping with Uncertainty

T he Human Side of Cancer is an amalgam of thoughts and knowledge from many people. First and foremost are the many patients and their families who shared their experiences with us. Their willingness to express their deepestand sometimes darkestfeelings was remarkable. We were humbled to learn how courageous people were in the face of overwhelming problems. The stories in this book are a composite of our experiences in talking with them, with names and circumstances changed to ensure their privacy. A few patients (who became friends) stand out for special mention: Bob Fisher, who started our patient-to-patient counseling program while he was being treated for leukemia. He insisted that our work had to get out to others. His message: Write the book and forget the sciencejust tell it from the heart. Others include Jay Weinberg, Jack and Rhonda Price, Karen Swymer, and Sheila Kussner. Also, Cornelia Perry stands tall for her insistence, as a teacher of public speaking, that you must get the message out about how important this human side of cancer truly is.

Several people who had been through an experience with cancer agreed to read drafts of the book. Gratitude for their work to ensure credibility goes to: Renata Laqueur, Gene Baranoff, and Arlene Eisenberg. Avis Meehan, director of public affairs at Memorial, reviewed the manuscript and made helpful suggestions.

After we have recognized our debt to the patients, the many colleagues who contributed deserve to be mentioned. Those who work with us at Memorial are central: Marguerite Lederberg, with her consistent, quiet, thoughtful advice; Sarah Auchincloss, who taught us about the sexual issues; Mary Jane Massie, who helped start the program at Memorial; Bill Breitbart and Sherry Schacter, who brought the experience of caring for very ill patients at home; Andy Roth; Reverend Tom McDonnell; Jamie Ostroff; Bruce Rapkin; Reverend George Handzo and the Chaplaincy Service; Jesus Almanza; Mindy Greenstein; Alice Kornblith; Donna J. Wilson; our Spiritual Beliefs Seminar group; the Patients to Patients Volunteers; Karrie Zampini; the groups at the Post-Treatment Resource Center at Memorial; and Elizabeth Peabody and the lung cancer support group. All contributed to different aspects of the book. We also thank the psychiatry department staff, especially Ivelisse Belardo.

The work of many researchers and clinicians around the world is cited; these dedicated investigators have contributed, through their studies and insights, to our present knowledge, on which the book is based. We thank Carole Levine and the United Hospital Fund of New York for allowing us to include information from her study on caregivers.

On a personal level, we thank our families who patiently listened and commented on the book. Without Jim Holland, acting as both a supportive spouse and an objective oncologist, the medical underpinnings of the book would have suffered. Encouragement for the books progress was a part of many conversations with Steven and his wife, Maryland, Mary, Peter and Anne, David, and Diane Holland. Sally Holland and Demece, her partner, read drafts and offered painful but sound criticism.

We are also grateful to Sheila Lewis, who likewise contributed her expertise as an editor and teacher, and to Ezra and Zach. We thank other special friends of this project: Joy Harris, not only a superb literary agent but also a passionate advocate for the human side of cancer, Megan Newman, our editor, for her guidance; Barbara Graham; Ed and Denny Levy; Mark Matousek; Margarita Danielian; and David McMullen.

Finally it was Tony Marchini, our assistant who prepared and organized background materials and provided draft after draft, who made it happen. His unflagging devotion and commitment to the project, his attention to each detail, and his repeated critiquescoupled with confidence in the outcomeensured its successful completion.