Champagne and Roses: A Story of Love and Cancer

It was a losing battle, but for 21 months Benson fought bravely alongside his wife, Sandy, during her grueling treatment for lung cancer. The couple conceded little during the fight, least of all hope%E2%80%94continuing to press for new medications, holistic treatments, and stem cell therapy. "I just keep believing, and try to keep Sandy believing, that we'll get through this, too, as long as she keeps giving me one more day, and never, ever quits," Benson writes in this heartbreaking, lyrical, and sometimes humorous memoir. Whatever bitterness Benson harbors is reserved for the doctors, declaring that with "certain notable exceptions," he "lost all respect for the medical profession," including one callous oncologist who would meet with patients only once a month and another who told the Bensons their decision to fight was merely "a crap shoot." In the end, Sandy died too young and suffered too much. But Benson's keenly personal memoir and collection of e-mails from friends and family show how uncompromising love and unflagging commitment can help families face even tragic diagnoses with hope and courage.