Canfield Jack - Chicken soup for the cancer survivors soul : 101 healing stories about those who have survived cancer

Chicken Soup for the Cancer Survivors Soul will not only comfort and inspire cancer survivors and their loved ones, it will comfort and inspire anyone breathing. Its mandatory reading!

Wally Amos
The Cookie Man

Chicken Soup for the Cancer Survivors Soul is a great pick-me-up book. We all go through tough times in our lives. The inspiring stories in this book show us all that we can get through these events and even learn from them that is the secret of surviving!

Dan Jansen
Olympic gold-medal speed skater

Yes! This wonderful book teaches us that one can make cancer a triumph instead of a tragedy! We can find the blessings... the lessons to be learned...the strength we never knew we had. I know... cancer was one of the most empowering gifts in my life.

Susan Jeffers, Ph.D.
author, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway and
End the Struggle and Dance with Life

Over the past 14 years of providing psychological and emotional support to thousands of cancer patients, we have discovered that there are significant therapeutic benefits from interacting with other cancer patients. Chicken Soup for the Cancer Survivors Soul, a wonderfully inspirational book, introduces the cancer patient to many others who understand every nuance of the cancer experience.

Harold H. Benjamin, Ph.D.
founder and president, The Wellness Community

These stories will take you by the hand and take you by the heart, and show you how much each of us can do.

W. Mitchell, CPAE
author, The Man Who Would Not Be Defeated and
internationally recognized expert on change

I loved this wonderful, heartwarming book. It reminded me of all the people I have worked with since 1974. Reading it was like sitting in a hundred support groups. You leave feeling youve shared something important, something of yourself.

Elise NeeDell Babcock
founder, Cancer Counseling Inc.
and author, When Life Becomes Precious

Chicken Soup for the Cancer Survivors Soul shows us what all the blood tests, X rays and MRIs cannot possibly revealthe true nature of the surviving soul. Through the horror of cancer, these heroes have found the honor of everyday life. By sharing their stories with us, they fill us with the power not only to survive but, indeed, to thrive. Besides cancer patients, their families and health-care givers, anyone whos had so much as a broken nail or a broken heart should read this book.

Robert Wollman, M.D.
Holy Cross Hospital Cancer Center

This book is a godsend for anyone who needs some inspirationas we all do. The stories in Chicken Soup for the Cancer Survivors Soul are from people who have a special insight into how to live life more fully and, in doing so, improve their health.

O. Carl Simonton, M.D.
Simonton Cancer Center

On an overcast summer day, I sat on my duffel bag, sleeping bag and pillow waiting for my ride. I was filled with excitement and undue nervousness, unsure of what the next nine days had in store for me. I was on the road to volunteering for my first time at Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, a camp for cancer patients, ages 7 to 18. Having no idea that this would be the most amazing week of my life, I faced perplexing questions: What if I have a camper who has an emergency? What if I get an uncontrollable cabin? What if I cant handle the incredible emotional experience?

I was relieved when I was paired with a wonderful cocounselor who had been to camp twice before. Mary Anne and I instantly meshed. Pre-camp orientation ended and it was now time to head down the hill to pick up the children. As we approached the Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, my butterflies fluttered uncontrollably. One of the veteran counselors must have sensed my anxiety because he wrapped his arms around me to give me a bear hug and a simple wink to rekindle my confidence.

I decided to jump in and start having fun with these children, who had traveled from everywhere between San Diego to Bakersfield to forget about their troubles and enjoy a week of fun. Some campers were getting reacquainted with friends from past summers. Others stayed close in the comfort of their families, in an awkward position of not really wanting to hang out with Mom, but not convinced that branching out needed to take place right then.

As I surveyed the scene, I saw a few children who were amputees, some in wheelchairs, and a sprinkling of bald heads hidden under hats or scarves, but most of the campers looked as healthy as any other children their age. I noticed there was a group of seasoned campers singing camp songs in a circle. Since this was my first year, I was not too familiar with the proper lyrics and hand motions of Super Lizard. With a football in hand, I proceeded over to an Im too cool for Super Lizard group of guys. I said, Hi, Im Lisa. Would you want to throw the football around? In all honesty, I didnt know a thing about setting up a football game, but I guess I sounded convincing because before long everyone wore wide smiles. The campers were having fun, and I sensed that a week would be much too short for this frolic. I was in paradise. I was having as much fun as the campers and enjoyed meeting all the patients, all the while recruiting more players. It did not take long for this group to assimilate. The boys showed off for the girls, while the gals either displayed their athleticism or were happy just checking out the male campers. One girl told me that she already knew she wanted to ask Michael to the dance, which, keep in mind, was days away.

We loaded the bus and I knew that this week was going to be great. At camp, we were assigned our cabins. Cabin Four consisted of eight 11-to 13-year-old girls, Mary Anne and myself. We stuck together like glue through all the exciting activities during the week. We had 10 different personalities and not all were angels. However, there was something strangely wonderful about being confined to a very small living space, which contained only two small mirrors and campers who woke up at 6 A.M. to be the first to use the showers.

One night during Cabin Nines teepee overnight, a night where each cabin gets a turn to eat and sleep outdoors in one large teepee, I was returning from taking Misty to receive her nighttime meds. We had just settled back into the warmth of our sleeping bags and it wasnt five minutes before the C-word was brought up. I sat there quiet as a mouse, unsure what would happen next. So what kind do you have? They all shared and then within the same breath someone said, So, who do you guys think is cute at camp? They had answered their own curiosity, in addition to strengthening the bond they already shared. It was an intense few moments, but it did not take long for these campers to continue talking about important 11-through 13-year-old topicssuch as boys. Yet these girls were amazingly knowledgeable, possessing more strength and wisdom than some people twice their ages. In the course of the week, I had almost forgotten they were sick. Every day they continually battled with cancer, a disease that many times we associate with adults. Cancer is a topic that most of us cannot cope with easily or lightly. These children will always be affected by this disease, yet for one week a year they live freely, surrounded by hope, inspiration, support and love, with kids just like themselves.

It was the last night of camp after the exciting dance. Energy ran high in Cabin Four. Mary Anne and I finally calmed our little dancers down enough to leave for the dining hall for a staff meeting. Two counselors patrolled the area, and we had a two-hour reprieve. We received reports that our cabin was laughing so uncontrollably that they could be heard throughout all the girls cabins. Curious if that was really true, Mary Anne and I peeked our heads across the barren field. All we could see were faint small lights resembling a harmless, competitive game of flashlight tag coming from where else but Cabin Number Four.