A Beginning

In February 2016 I was diagnosed with locally advanced, estrogen positive Stage II breast cancer [ultimately T2N1]. As we prepared ourselves to meet that challenge, my wife fell on an icy driveway, shattering her shoulder. She required major surgery on the same day as I began chemotherapy. Together - two abreast - we navigated a year of treatment and recovery. This book is generated from a blog/website which I chronicled our our experience.

Over the months of treatment, I wrote regular emails to our extended community of friends, family, and colleagues (which I gathered together as The Letters. I also wrote about meeting and managing various breast cancer treatments (On Treatment). I also shared ideas for care of the self and the soul (Sustenance). These included examples of how our community surrounded us in their care. Being an academic, I also researched and considered various studies and recommendations. One immediately useful and relevant resource was a recipe for nutrient-rich bone broth. You’ll find it in this book.  

Structure of this Blog to Book

The Letters are the spine of this book and our story. Around them, I have folded in observations on treatment, and the loving care of our friends and community which sustained and carried us through the 'breast cancer year(s)' together. There are poems! There are prayers! We reflect on self-care in the midst. Towards the end of the account, I have included my thoughts on some of the "Big Questions" that we face when breast cancer comes into our lives.

As a blog each posting is given a date. Some of the dates are correct (the date of my diagnosis on February 4, 2016, the March date when Angie fell on ice, the days I completed different phases of treatment (a particularly Red Letter Day being November 03, after surgery when my surgeon declared me to be in remission! Other dates are 'of convenience - to allow me to sequence the entries.

Welcome to our story!