A cancer diagnosis is a seismic event. It divides life into before and after, and propels the diagnosed into places of suffering, pain and isolation; life is turned upside down in the present while the future horizon clouds with uncertainty and fear. Despite someone getting diagnosed with cancer in the UK every two minutes, cancer is a disease that is often described as lonely as the sufferer sets out on a tough journey through waiting, treatment and recovery. In this wise and compassionate book, cancer survivor Gillian Straine proposes that this journey through illness, pain and anxiety be reconceptualised as a pilgrimage of discovery. The Christian faith is that we are never abandoned by God, and this promise holds wherever we might find ourselves, whether that is in the doctor's waiting room, in a chair receiving chemotherapy or lying on the surgeons table. Following the journey of Jesus through the darkness of Gethsemane, to the cross and into the silent waiting of Holy Saturday, this book invites the reader to seek God in their experience of cancer and, by pointing to the glimmers of resurrection hope in remission and beyond, to find healing in their own story of illness.

A cancer patient is more a fighter than a lost cause, and the caregiver is among those in the front ranks of the battle. Cancer Companion is the true life story of how a devoted husband helped his terminally ill wife come to grips with the daily struggle to live a normal life with a crippling desease. Informative and factual, this book goes beyond those boundries to inspire and cncourage anyone fighting " the big C".

An original take on the journey into and through healing. In the first section of this very personal book of illness, spirituality, and healing, the Rev. Cricket Cooper receives a diagnosis of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, for which she will need to undergo an eighteen-week/six-cycle chemo treatment plan. She decides to pair each of the chemo treatments, if possible, with a pilgrimage to some holy site or religious community. The journey’s sharp ups and downs lead her to the understanding that there is one path, and we travel it together—sometimes to unexpected places. After counting down the eighteen weeks of the chemo, much to her oncologist’s (and Cooper’s) chagrin, the cancer is not cured, and she must move on to radiation therapy. The next section follows her month of radiation. Cooper’s terror of this treatment is allayed when she is able to see the radiation as “Healing Light,” and realize that December—her radiation month—is also the month of the Jewish Festival of Lights, of the Solstice, of Christian Advent/Nativity/ Epiphany, and other faith-based celebrations of light. Taking as her meditation the Episcopal Collect for Advent 1: “Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light,” she explores what this might mean beyond the context of Advent and in her own individual situation. The book’s final section covers waiting for the “all-clear” report from the doctors and Cooper’s residual issues of moving from the status of being a patient to the status of being “a Survivor.” It is a time of relief tinged with at least a bit of uncertainty, but buoyed by the knowledge that cancer is not just a diagnosis, and not just a journey; today, cancer is a community that welcomes you into its midst.

This is a remarkable book written by an amazing patient with cancer. His journey has been hard and tortuous and is not yet over. His writing is clear, amusing, factually correct, well researched and inspirational. Its a very unusual logbook of a pilgrim who has travelled for a decade down the cancer road. Bursting with information, this story will be helpful to all those with cancer, whatever its type. We live in an information rich world, where the internet and media provide 24 hour access to global knowledge. But sifting the relevant and accurate from the erroneous and subtly promotional is now a great challenge. Here, Mallory demonstrates how to do this very effectively. During my career as an oncologist I have seen tremendous improvements in cancer care. Our outcomes are now so much better. But involving patients in their care has never been more important. This gives us great insight of one mans cancer journey and will be of great value to future patients and their families. Professor Karol Sikora, Medical Director of Cancer Partners UK, Dean of the University of Buckingham Medical School and former Chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) Cancer Program

Northey, a cancer survivor, has written stories that reflect the lives of people who are living with cancer. She shares her own story and writes about other cancer survivors she has met during her years of treatment and attending survival meetings. The 33 stories, which offer a human side to living with cancer, will give insight to those battling cancer and those who care for them. The thought provoking and moving stories that end with scripture and prayer will provide readers with the reassurance of God's grace, mercy, and omnipresence during difficult times.

Northey, a cancer survivor, has written stories that reflect the lives of people who are living with cancer. She shares her own story and writes about other cancer survivors she has met during her years of treatment and attending survival meetings. The 33 stories, which offer a human side to living with cancer, will give insight to those battling cancer and those who care for them. The thought provoking and moving stories that end with scripture and prayer will provide readers with the reassurance of God's grace, mercy, and omnipresence during difficult times.