Recently, when I was in the library for my weekly trip there with the kids, I came across their Breast Cancer Awareness display. There was a book on the shelf called “Voices of Breast Cancer” so I checked it out and brought it home.
For the next couple days, I kept reading the stories included in this book voraciously. The stories are very candid, transparent, honest. It brought back several memories for me, remembering my mom’s struggles and triumphs as she battled this disease starting in 2001. She’s cancer free now, but she’s constantly on guard against any other health scares.
Reading these stories stirred memories of seeing her immediately after surgery, watching my dad shave her head, and then, most recently, walking the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk with her. This book is packed full of stories of all the different aspects of the disease. Not just chemo and radiation, but things like breaking the news to family, friends, and coworkers. Things like how the world is completely different after going through this type of thing. Things like learning to lean on others and then re-learning how to stand on your own two feet.
This book is a part of a series put out by the Healing Project, a non-profit organization set up by a breast cancer survivor who felt frustrated at the time of her diagnosis with the lack of personal contacts who she could talk to about the choices she was about to make. She wanted other survivors and patients to talk to. So she started this organization and is focused on supporting other people who need to heal. The book emulates this tone with all the stories of triumph, healing, and personal reflection that are included in the pages.
This is a wonderful book to read any time of year; not just in October. Just be sure to have a box of tissues handy.
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