Any Day With Hair Is a Good Hair Day: How to Get Through Cancer and Get on With Your Life (Trust Me, I've Been There) »

Michelle Rapkin, a former publishing executive, now works as a freelance editor. She lives in New York with her husband.

Michelle Rapkin's life changed when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in a routine visit to the doctor's office. In ANY DAY WITH HAIR IS A GOOD HAIR DAY, Rapkin shares the hard earned wisdom and know-how she gleaned from her experience battling cancer.

Infused with laughter and inspiration, this book provides readers with the tools to take charge from the moment of their diagnosis. Rapkin guides cancer patients through the day-to-day concerns they face alone - dealing with hair loss and weight gain, managing insurance paperwork, and getting through chemotherapy and radiation. She offers realistic, accessible advice for those undergoing treatment and for the loved ones supporting them.

Janice Flahiff - Library Journal

Former publishing executive and cancer survivor Rapkin attempts to close the gap between current cancer books that are personal narratives (e.g., Margie Levine's Surviving Cancer) and those that are medical references (e.g., Peter Teeley and Philip Bashe's The Complete Revised and Updated Cancer Survival Guide). This slim guide succinctly addresses such concerns as diagnosis and treatment, mental and spiritual challenges, and the reactions of well-meaning people. About one-third of the content is devoted to short lists, including organizing personal medical information, questions to ask health-care professionals and insurers, and coping tips for a range of issues (e.g., nausea, chemotherapy, visitors). Rapkin emphasizes proactive care and making informed health-care and lifestyle choices. While encouraging and inspiring, her book comes up short on medical information; the resources are slanted toward coping, and none is health-related. A Cancer Survivor's Almanac: Charting Your Journey, edited by Barbara Hoffman, is much more comprehensive. Recommended with reservations for comprehensive consumer health collections.

Just diagnosed     1
You've Just Been Named CEO
First Things First
Hurry Up and Wait
Breaking the News
Choosing Your Oncologist
If You Have Breast Cancer (Not for Women Only)
The Hire: Choosing the Best Candidate for the Job
Your body     28
What You Should Know Before You Start Treatment
Hair Issues: Why You Shouldn't Buy a Wig for More than {dollar}150
Coping with Side Effects
For Women Only: If You're Going to Have a Mastectomy
Your Weight (Good News/Bad News)
Managing Pain
Important Documents
Your mind and spirit     62
Remember: You Come First
How Do You Know How You're Coping with Cancer When You've Never Had It Before?
Your Mind: You're Not Losing It-Chemobrain
Mind Games
Dealing with Depression
Matters of the Spirit
Prayers for Healing and Peace
Maintaining a Positive Attitude without Feeling Like a Human Smiley Face
Retail Therapy Beats Chemotherapy
Humor-it really is the best medicine     91
What's Funny about Cancer?
Jokes Only a Cancer Patient Could Love
Well-meaning family, friends, and strangers     98
Your Spouse
Your Parents
Your Children
Friends, Strangers, and Answers to "How Can I Help?"
Staying home and going out     112
Staying Home
Making the Most of Going Out
Top (approximately) ten...     119
Things to Do While Waiting
Music to Have Chemo By
Movies to Entertain and Distract
Novels to Make Time Fly
Helpful Cancer Books
Cancer Web Sites
Myths about Cancer
BiblePassages to Comfort and Encourage
Things to Remember When You're Really Down
Things Others Can Do to Help That Take Less Than Thirty Minutes
Good Things That Will Happen as a Result of Chemo
Complementary, integrative, and alternative treatments     134
Resources for Further Information
Survivor!     138
Saying Good-bye to Treatment
Glossary     143
Resources     151
For Further Reading     159
Puzzle Solution     169
Acknowledgments     171
Index     173