Lessons from Joan: Living and Loving with Cancer, a Husband's Story » (New Edition)

In the thirty-two months following Joan's cancer diagnosis she and her family experienced a journey that changed their lives immeasurably. With unflinching honesty, Eric R. Kingson recounts the ensuing medical treatments, their hopes and fears, their advocacy, and everyday struggles. But at the heart of the book is Joan's warmth and courage. Her observations on life and death, more philosophical than clinical, are honest and abundant. Drawing on her wisdom, Kingson has written a powerful and enriching book. Unexpectedly, it proves to be not so much a memoir as a love story. Lessons from Joan is not intended as a "how-to" book, but within its pages readers will find lessons about how to deal with unexpected life-threatening illnesses, how to identify and assess treatment options, and how to communicate with health care providers and deal with managed care.

CEO, Hospice & Palliative Care Associates of Central New York - DALE JOHNSON

This "book is, by turns, a valentine to Joan, a thank-you note to friends and family, and a how-to manual for families encountering a bewildering health care system in the face of terminal disease. Kingson manages a deft balancing act, crafting a work that is philosophical at times but never dense, inspirational without being overly sentimental, and instructive while much more than merely technical. Lessons from Joan presents a set of thoughtful reflections about struggle, loss and grief in a family turned upside down by the unanticipated illness of a youthful and vibrant wife and mother."