from my bookshelf

Cancer... its a really scary word. I think everyone gets a little cringy when you hear the word cancer. Someone close to me recently has been diagnosed with a brain tumor, given months to live, even with aggressive treatments. To say life is different now as I switch from work mode, to caretaker mode, doctor appointment attender, etc. is an understatement. However, I do believe that knowledge is power, and the best thing one can do is to become a bit more informed, and feel a little less helpless. A friend, who knows I am a reader, suggested that I pick up Bryan Bishop's Shrinkage about his own brain cancer, was pretty smart. I devoured this book, knowing that not everyone's experiences are the same, but feeling like I had a viewpoint on what the next few months of life will be like while this is tackled for my close someone.  I am sure I'll dive in more once the sting of the news wears off more, and  decide I want to share.

Bryan tackles the tough stuff, while including some humorous thoughts. I definitely found myself going between laughing and crying, but feeling like I know what radiation will be like. I was able to ask about the radiation mask (don't google that, it's really weird and sort of scary), and be informed all because I read.  I am sure the doctors love me and my questions, but this poised me to ask some of the questions that I wouldn't have known to ask.