When I saw the title of this book I just had to read it. Many women suffer fromt his disease and many so not share it. But I know that everyone know someone who has or had breat cancer. (weather or not they have told you).
"...a beautiful book, filled with breathtaking art and hope, bringing smiles and much calm..."
- Barbara Delinsky, New York Times bestselling author of UPLIFT: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors
The National Breast Cancer Foundation estimates that each year, over 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and of them over will 40,000 die from the disease. One woman in eight either has or will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. But when she believes that breast cancer could never happen to her, the diagnosis seems devastating.
Fran Padgett extends a hand to every "she" living with breast cancer in her new book Breast Cancer: No One Chose This Journey. In this tribute to all women who have been "chosen by breast cancer," Padgett offers comfort. Through nine stories that have been entrusted to her by friends and others she met casually at conventions, coffee shops, and in line at the shoe store, Padgett shows that, while the journey may be intensely personal, no one travels that path completely alone.
The spirit of many different women imbues these pages. From the very young to older survivors in various countries, Padgett takes the tales of the same difficult disease and shows how each woman fought and how she bloomed. Readers will meet Destiny who was diagnosed at 29; Becky who kept giving her students so much while she was battling; and Bonnie who rode 14 miles to the Breast Center for treatment. They may have been chosen by the same disease, but each woman's experience is uniquely theirs. Reading about the different trials and tribulations each of these women faced makes it easier to believe that breast cancer does not have to create unnecessary isolation; it can be used to unite.
Padgett's original artwork enhances each of the stories. A series inspired by the women she writes about, The Gift Of Time pieces communicate the sense of strength and hope shared through the stories. Each piece in this collection shows the inner spirit and beauty of the woman for whom Padgett created it. Painted using her own impressions and the impressions of family and friends of the woman, the art is a visual of the love and support with which each woman surrounds herself when facing this hard disease.
A book of comfort and sorrow, this book has a message for all who read it. If you enjoyed the tales of strength from books like Chicken Soup for the Breast Cancer Survivor's Soul and A Cup of Comfort for Breast Cancer Survivors, this truly touching collection is a must-read.
Every emotion and outpouring of the soul is captured through Padgett's words and her stunning Gift of Time artworks. All of the triumphs and ironies, the laughter and tears, the sensations of survival, and the complexities of healing usher in anyone who feels abandoned by the world and showers them with the courage to strengthen their relationships and the hope to keep moving forward with life.
Posts
