SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL DANCING IN CANCER: Inspired by a True Story

by Vera Eikon

Overview

The presence of cancer cells that is now called a disease does not just grow overnight. Chemotherapy alone cannot cure the disease either - my mother believed these too. She once pacified a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis and defied the odds as her disease went into remission. A strength based model, specifically the psychological process of family resilience became a guiding framework as I and my mother chose to take a positive stance in the midst of a threatening situation. In addition to recognizing family strengths and resources, this book also focuses on the significance of positive relationships within the community. The interplay of resilient characteristics is highlighted while at the same time recognizing actual and real challenges that come along with a cancer experience - the “silent struggles” toward social issues that all had an impact in my mother's disease. Yet, cancer can be a gateway to heal and to evolve one's consciousness in the process. It is a consciousness that is inherent to each but is usually dormant and unrecognized. This can allow both the person with cancer and other family members be positively transformed by the illness – an opportunity and gift of cancer. In this book, I do not speak as an expert but as an observer of my own life and my environment as I attempt to document my mother's cancer experience. The time I became her immediate caregiver during initial cancer treatments and until she was re-integrating into the community as a woman diagnosed with cancer. - Vera Icon

 

“A blend of scholarly research, spirituality and personal experience shapes this memoir of growth and loss when coping with cancer...”

 

“A poignant mother–daughter story that adds a personal touch to the science of suffering.”

 

Kirkus Review, November 30, 2012

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781477113936
Publisher:	Xlibris US
Publication date:	01/15/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	157
File size:	236 KB

Editorial Reviews

A blend of scholarly research, spirituality and personal experience shapes this memoir of growth and loss when coping with cancer. After her mother's death from breast cancer, the author decided to write about her experience as a caregiver and advocate for breast cancer awareness, with a focus on the nonmedical aspects of the disease. The author and her mother embraced alternative treatments and preferred to take a holistic approach to understanding the illness, seeing the physical and calculable aspects of cancer as only one component of a disease that is also shaped by self-awareness, interpersonal relationships and community. After a period of remission, the author saw a connection between her mother's anger--at friends, family and events beyond her control--and the recurrence of her cancer. Although anger isn't directly implicated as the cause of the cancer, the theme of the anger and cancer returning together is repeated over and over again throughout the book. Woven into the story of the disease is the author's memoir of her developing relationship with her mother and the changes in responsibilities and understanding as both take on new roles. Transitions between the United States and the Philippines also shape the story, particularly when her mother returns to her native country for treatment and when dealing with crises related to health insurance on an international level. The book concludes with analysis of various similar texts and academic articles, perhaps a product of the author's advanced degree in psychology. Generally, the book is straightforward and readable, but its overuse of italics and quotation marks sometimes draws attention away from the narrative. Positioned somewhat outside a mainstream understanding, the author's holistic interpretation of cancer may not resonate with readers less interested in emotions and introspection, but the research she cites is evidence that understanding a disease's psychological impact on patients and their families is a field of growing importance. A poignant mother–daughter story that adds a personal touch to the science of suffering.

Kirkus Reviews