This Is Cancer: Everything You Need to Know, from the Waiting Room to the Bedroom
About this audiobook
Cancer is indiscriminate. It cares little for class, creed, or color. Its victims and their caregivers are everywhere. When Laura Holmes Haddad was diagnosed with Stage IV inflammatory breast cancer at age thirty-seven, she discovered shelf upon shelf of overly earnest, somber survival books instead of the straight talk she needed. She knew there had to be a better way.
This Is Cancer is the thoughtful, informative, and sometimes entertaining result for those who prefer their pathos with equal parts humor, reality, and a touch of flair. A “what to expect when you’re expecting” book for the diagnosis you don’t want but are stuck with, This Is Cancer is the book that patients keep in their “heading to the hospital bag,” because it’s the only one that tells them what’s going on and keeps them company.
Included here are such useful snippets as the following:
There is no limit to what you will put yourself through when told it might save your life.Stay away from the Internet, and don’t let anyone tell you what they looked up about your diagnosis.You’ll be surrounded by people, but sometimes you’ll feel lonely and alone.Lexapro is Tylenol for the soul.If you don’t like your doctors, find new ones. You will feel somewhat at the mercy of them, like they hold the key to your mortality, but in fact, more than one doctor can potentially save you, and some are nice and some are mean.Whether you or your loved ones want a primer full of useful information in an easy-to-reference format or a friendly and comforting read with honest, comforting, and darkly funny tips, This Is Cancer provides the real intel and advice that you need most during this tremendously difficult time.
Ratings and reviews
About the author
Laura Holmes Haddad received her BA degree from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she majored in comparative government. She spent one year studying international politics at the London School of Economics before enrolling in the chef’s program at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and receiving an AA degree. After working as a caterer in Northern California, she moved to New York City and became an assistant cookbook editor at Simon & Schuster. Five years later, she returned to California and pursued a freelance writing and editing career. She is the author of Anything but Chardonnay: A Guide to the Other Grapes and coauthor of Pure Flavor: 125 Fresh, All-American Recipes from the Pacific Northwest; and Lulu Powers Food to Flowers: Simple, Stylish Food for Easy Entertaining. After a three-year battle with breast cancer, she began writing about cancer and speaking about patient advocacy. When not writing, she can be found hiking, paddleboarding, reading, cooking, or swinging on a rope swing with her kids. She lives in Northern California with her husband, daughter, son, and a Dalmatian.
Rachel Fulginiti is an audiobook narrator and a voice-over artist who has worked with companies such as Chrysler, Target, McDonalds, and eHarmony. She is a graduate of the Meisner Program at the School for Film and Television in New York City.
