Live Strong : Inspirational Stories from Cancer Survivors -- From Diagnosis to Treatment and Beyond

by THE LANCE ARMSTRONG FOUNDATION

• ISBN13: 9780375728501
• ISBN10: 0375728503
• Edition: Large
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-10-11
• Publisher: Random House Large Print

Summary

Survivors from all walks of life talk about what "living strong" in the face of cancer means to them. Since the now ubiquitous LIVESTRONG wristbands became available in May 2004, the Lance Armstrong Foundation has raised more than $50 million for cancer survivorship programs, and the signature phrase has become a battle cry for those who fight the disease every day. Now, the Lance Armstrong Foundation has compiled, from hours of videotaped interviews, poignant and dramatic personal accounts from cancer survivors. Covering a wide range of subjects, from grief to spousal relationships, employment discrimination to coping with medical bills, infertility to fear of recurrence, survivors share their experiences and speak candidly about how cancer has impacted their lives. For twenty-four-year-old Amy it's how her illness changed her relationship with her parents. Mike, a male survivor of breast cancer, talks about gender stereotypes and genetic testing. And Eric, the father of a five-year-old survivor of a brain tumor, recalls how friends and strangers helped his family with financial issues and how the experience brought him and his wife closer together. While heartbreaking at times, these powerfully honest stories are ultimately uplifting and extremely reassuring to patients and their families. They offer the wisdom and hope that only survivors can give.LiveStrongis a remarkable testament to the resilience of the human spirit. From the introduction by Lance Armstrong: My work with the LAF shows me daily that sharing our stories and learning from one another's experiences helps us cancer survivors continue to survive. Some people think the cancer experience is only about the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, as if after the disease goes into remission, it no longer exists. But survivorship goes beyond remission. Survivorship is an evolution.

Author Biography

The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) believes that in the battle against cancer, unity is strength, knowledge is power, and attitude is everything. From the moment of diagnosis the LAF provides the practical information and tools that people with cancer need to live strong. The LAF was founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and cycling champion Lance Armstrong. The LAF IS a 501(c) (3) located in Austin, Texas.

Table of Contents

Introduction by Lance Armstrong	xi
Samantha Eisenstein:
"I am somebody with cancer and I am somebody without cancer."	1	(21)
Perry Rothaus:
"Even if you're losing, you have to fight."	22	(11)
Christopher Carley:
"We've got to be part of the solution "	33	(20)
Trinika Crawford:
"I would not be the Trinika I know today."	53	(14)
Craig Lustig:
"Too sexy for my hair."	67	(12)
Magnolia Contreras:
"Can I sign that thirty-year mortgage?"	79	(17)
David Carbone:
"The diagnosis is c—"	96	(13)
Hugo Gomez:
"I'm just a regular kid, you know?"	109	(17)
Suzette Gelle:
"Pity? Move it along."	126	(18)
Tim Madden:
"I felt I had gotten off too easy."	144	(17)
Susan Shinagawa:
"Asian women don't get breast cancer."	161	(15)
Mortimer Brown:
"Be strong in accepting help"	176	(22)
Scott Toner:
"The survival rates are 100 percent for Scott Toner."	198	(14)
Eric Miller:
"Put your pride in your back pocket."	212	(12)
Mike Kriz:
"Life is a journey. It's not a guided tour."	224	(13)
Lori Monroe:
"I can't ruin today worrying about tomorrow."	237	(23)
Greg Ferris:
"You have to be the CEO of your own care."	260	(16)
Karen Seeche:
"I am not a statistic."	276	(15)
Joseph Nipper:
"Changed for the better."	291	(19)
Octavio Zavala:
"I wish I would have asked."	310	(13)
David Driver:
"Attitude."	323	(16)
Amy Dilbeck:
"Have every teenage girl lose her hair for six months, and she'll be a much better person."	339	(20)
Brian Hill:
"Being on this side of the grass."	359	(23)
Eden Stotsky:
"I'm not the only one this has happened to."	382	(19)
Stacy Holborow:
"It turns you into a fighter."	401	(16)
Susan Leigh:
"We're going to cure you. What more do you want?"	417	(24)
Acknowledgments	441