Sources of inspiration & hope during my fight with cancer
At 26 years old, I discovered that I had stage IV breast cancer. The following books are resources that provided me with hope in my fight and ultimately, my survival. These are books for cancer patients – it is my hope that if you are fighting cancer, or know someone who is, these books can offer hope and support for you too.
Below I’ve listed some of the books that helped me in my battle with cancer, with a short description of my personal experience with them.
My list of books for cancer patients
- Chicken Soup for the Surviving Soul, by Jack Canfield: In my search for hope, this book stood out. As I was browsing through the selection at a Christian bookstore, many of the books about cancer were so discouraging I couldn’t look at them. But Chicken Soup for the Surviving Soul speaks about conquering a lot of things—and conquering was something I wanted to know more about.
- Healed of Cancer, by Dodie Osteen: This book was given to me by one of the many people who sought to support me. Healed of Cancer had a profound effect on my thoughts, providing a spiritual basis to fight the cancer. It made me want to stand up and cheer. I read it constantly.
- A Dietitian’s Cancer Story, by Diana Dyer: Diana is a registered dietitian and three-time cancer survivor. She thoroughly researched food and supplements to impact her fight. Out of the experience she wrote this great resource. It is packed with all types of information, menus, shopping lists and, my favorite, a shake recipe. The shake included soy, veggies, fruit and lots of other good stuff. I took to it immediately. I found it was a great way to start my day.
- 50 Essential Things To Do When The Doctor Says It’s Cancer, by Greg Anderson: Greg is a 15-year survivor of the 30-days-to-live diagnosis. This book was great for me. It laid out the plan that I was pursuing: good conventional medicine, time with God, exercise, nutrition and a purpose in life. He speaks of the healing notebooks he had filled on his journey. I drank it in. Every few chapters it would say to take a break and I would be bummed. I wanted to consume it all.
- A Year of Miracles, by Susan Wolf Sternberg: Around the time that I was preparing stem cell transplants I was reading A Year of Miracles. It is about an Ann Arbor woman who used a lot of meditative techniques. She worked with a doctor to make individualized meditations for each aspect of her treatment. In A Year of Miracles, that author talked about the healing quilts that she made. She had taken one with her each time to the hospital. I ended up making one with my best friend Christy.
My Story
What started as a collection of letters to my baby girl grew into a book of my own: Every Day We Are Killing Cancer. My book tells my story of surviving breast cancer and how friends and family pulled together to support and help me through. If you are interested in hearing my story, please take a look at my memoir, Every Day We Are Killing Cancer.
