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I hope that in these pages, that you will find some things that are useful and that will make this path
easier for you.
When I was diagnosed, and in the days that followed, I was amazed at how little I knew
about my own condition and at how ill prepared I was. I blundered through the experience the best I
could but I really could have used some kind of a guide book that would help me through the experience.
I remember being in my apartment a few days after surgery and thinking to myself "Someone has to tell
people what this is like!" At that point, I realized that I was going to do my best to help folks going
through this experience.
My wish for this book is that it makes your journey a bit easier, that it educates you and let's you
know how the journey has been for other people so that perhaps it goes a bit easier for you. First and
foremost, I hope that it lets you know that you are not alone in this. You might find yourself feeling
isolated and be convinced that "no one can possibly know what this is like"- that you are "having a truly
unique experience that no one can relate to". I respect that, I do. I felt much the same way. These feelings
are certainly one side of the somewhat tarnished silver dollar of this experience but the other side of that
same coin is that right now there are many people around you who are going through much the same thing.
There are literally thousands of us who are putting on a stiff upper lip and going on with the day while
trying like hell to ignore that fact that we are staring down a diagnosis of the big "C". With all of us
going through such a common experience, it's clear then that even though we may "feel" alone, we are
connected with a great tide of humanity that is having a similar experience.