“I Was Healthy Until the Day I Wasn't” chronologues the journey of the author through his cancer treatments, from the initial diagnosis of non-Hodgkins lymphoma through multiple chemo regimens and relapses, a stem cell transplant and finally remission. Written at first as blog entries over a period of 4 months, it also focuses on the people-the caretakers, the physicians and health care workers and mostly the patients-whose lives and experiences became inexorably entwined with his own. The stories of other patients' circumstances motivated the author to turn the blog entries into a full-length book. So inspiring are their stories, each shedding light on the disease itself, the bravery and courage, the strength and the stamina to continue fighting, sometimes against seemingly insurmountable odds.
There are as many books written about cancer and its treatment as there are types of cancer. No two experiences are the same. Each person has to choose his own path. And how he or she proceeds is a very personal choice. Even not choosing is a choice in and of itself. Cancer patients are an elite group, a band of brothers and sisters who share their experiences, who bolster each other in times of need and who lean on each other for support despite those differences. This book highlights their stories and makes clear that while they endure the indignities of this disease, they are not invisible. They exist. They need to be heard.
