Monday, January 6, 2020

CANCER…NO LAUGHING MATTER (BUT IT HELPS) by Glynis M. Belec, review by Elma Schemenauer

I have several things in common with Glynis M. Belec. We're sisters in Christ, sharing the same faith. We're both writers. And we're both thankful survivors of ovarian cancer. She was a pioneer in that regard. She got it before I did—and encouraged me when I was diagnosed with the same cancer a few years later.


Glynis shares her experiences and hard-won wisdom in the book CANCER…NO LAUGHING MATTER (BUT IT HELPS). She writes in a friendly accessible style with a "READER'S DIGEST" tone. I like her short chapters. They kept me reading, saying to myself "just one more chapter," and then a few minutes later "just one more chapter."


The book is a good blend of medical information, personal experience, and inspiration. Glynis's faith comes through in many ways, but as she says in the introduction, the book is not only for Christians. Any reader interested in the subject will get a lot out of it.


Here are a few of my favourite quotations:


"I am trying not to waste my cancer." Glynis uses cancer as a challenging source of personal growth and a means of reaching out and helping others.


"I wasn't going to be a noodle-spine." She emphasizes the importance of courage.


"Of all the things I miss, I think I miss my mind the most." This is a humorous reference to chemo brain, the fuzzy thinking that can be a side-effect of chemotherapy.


"Community forms. The cancers may be different, but patients share a common bond sitting like nervous children sent to the principal's office awaiting our fate." This common bond is reflected in Glynis's generous decision to share other people's cancer stories in her book. There are more than a dozen altogether—some survivors and some who unfortunately passed away. I'm privileged to be included in the book and pleased to recommend it to others.


Published by Angel Hope Publishing, it's a 233-page paperback, price $20. Available online from Amazon.


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