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CANCERWhen it crashes into your life nothing is ever the same. And then one day the tears turn to anger. Cancer has taken over your entire life. You have searched for information on cancer in the library, the bookstores, and the Internet. You have read the books about cancer and the possible cures that well-meaning friends have given to you. But, one day the cancer becomes too much to handle. That is when the anger comes.Sitting in her recliner in the living room late one evening, Verna looked over at her husband. He was sleeping deeply - exhausted from the hours spent in the trip to the emergency for another infection. The latest infection from the Groshong port had been treated. Anger took over the tears that were welling in her eyes and forcing their way down her cheeks. A poem about "The Elephant In The Room" came to mind. She couldn't remember the poem, just that it was about the insidious thing in your life that takes over and fills the room. "That damned elephant didn't even knock when it crashed into our home!" How dare that happen to us! That was the moment Cancer Doesn't Knock was begun. Verna got out of her chair and went to her computer. There were words that wanted to spill on to paper. Those words became the prologue for this book. Except for the last few words nothing has been changed - even though the rest of the manuscript was written and re-written many times. EXCERPT FROM THE PROLOGUE OF CANCER DOESN'T KNOCK: "April 27, 2001 The world as we knew it came to a halt. It was a screeching, jarring, heart-rending halt. We were wrenched loose from our foundation. We lost all that we had taken for granted. We were catapulted into a frightening, dark abyss. We had cancer. We had a brain tumor. We had several brain tumors. We had lung cancer. The love of my life and I embarked on a journey with no sure destination. I walked out of the hospital room, leaned against the wall and slowly sank to the floor. There were sobs inside. Tears on the outside rolled down my cheeks. Some of our children were at Dad's bedside. As I left the room, Ivan was rearranging the items on his bedside table. He said nothing. The grief I felt was overwhelming. Once before I had felt real grief: the morning my father died. This was different. This was my whole life changing beyond measure. In an instant, everything was different. Cancer doesn't knock. It crashes through the front door of your world. It hits you square in the gut. It mercilessly attacks your senses. It is an uninvited guest that takes over every aspect of your life. It doesn't go away, even when you beg and cry and pray. It is there. It is a reality. It becomes your new life." MORE EXCERPTS: Chapter One - Lung Cancer Chapter Two - The Moment Chapter Three - Brain Tumor Cancer Chapter Ten - The Gamma Knife Personal Notes on the Battle with Lung Cancer Chapter Twenty - Cancer Survival  |