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Faith, Hope and Cancer is the personal story of the author's survival after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Stage IV. The disease threatened her life, not just once, but twice-in 1996 and again in 2002. Written from a patient's perspective, the story reveals the shattering impact of the diagnosis, the feelings of devastation, isolation and abandonment.
The book speaks of her faith, hope and the lessons learned as she courageously fought for her life. It brims with practical ideas she tested personally to ease her distress as she searched for coping skills. Illness never occurs in a vacuum, it touches many lives. The author has advice for caregivers, friends, family and medical support teams. All play an important role in the healing process.
Never a passive victim, the author stresses the importance of personally assuming responsibility for one's health. As an activist patient she found that her involvement in treatment contributed to a faster recovery and to her personal growth. Through her determined research efforts she consulted experts, explored alternative methods of treatment and looked to her heroes for guidance and motivation. She learned it was possible to survive adversity with dignity while remaining true to oneself.
The author credits people, prayer and her faith in God as keys to her recovery. She speaks of getting back to the Bible, giving thanks daily, and meditating as sources of peace, strength and encouragement. This firm spiritual base helped her emerge in remission as a stronger, deeper person than she was before cancer came into her life.
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