cover image What Helped Get Me Through: Cancer Survivors Share Wisdom and Hope

What Helped Get Me Through: Cancer Survivors Share Wisdom and Hope

. American Cancer Society, $17.95 (362pp) ISBN 978-1-60443-004-2

In her mid 30s, Silver (Super Healing), an oncology rehab specialist, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Drawing on her experiences, Silver questioned survey participants on critical aspects of care and healing (healthcare providers, friends, family, spirituality, body image, etc.). Mainly from the U.S., respondents include celebrities (Carly Simon, Lance Armstrong and Sen. Ed. Brooke among them) and represent a broad range of ages, backgrounds and varieties of cancer. Silver has slotted responses into sections addressing such concerns as balancing work and family, making healthy lifestyle changes, helping children to cope with a parent's illness, asking for help and relieving stress, and she offers advice in lists and sidebars. While narrative connections between participants' comments would have provided greater continuity, this volume-a bird's-eye-view into the minds and hearts of cancer survivors-is an invaluable resource for those who will have cancer or treat, live or work with a cancer patient.