From Publishers Weekly
Breast cancer surgeon and force behind the Breast Cancer Research stamp (which raised some $30 million for the cause), Bodai teams up with freelance writer Panneton to offer uplifting tales of women who faced mastectomies, radiation and chemotherapy with courage, humor and grace. Personal essays and reminiscences run the gamut from funny to wise to heart-breaking: Leslie Mouton broadcasts the news sans wig to show there's nothing shameful in hair loss; Laura Jensen Walker laughs about the "original slim-fast chemo diet"; Justine McCollum muses about how breast cancer can be looked at as a gift of higher understanding. All the testimonials within urge a profound love for life and family, and seek to reach out to other women facing their own battles with cancer: these stories, Bodai writes, should function as "valued friends who have been there before you and are now extending a hand to help you through your own experience." Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
From The Breast Cancer Book of Strength & Courage:
This was a special night, a night when I would share with the public one of the most private parts of my battle against breast cancer. This was the night I would share my story of hair loss. . . . Steve turned to me, the camera took a two shot, and there I was, for the first time in my life, anchoring a newscast without a strand of hair on my head.
It was quite a moment, for many reasons. Mainly, for me, it represented how far I'd come, and how much I'd grown! Cancer has become a journey of self-discovery that has helped me develop self-confidence and learn to love myself for myself.
— Anchorwoman Leslie Mouton, who reported the news in Texas one night while bald due to chemotherapy treatments
Perhaps you or a loved one has recently heard the words, "You have breast cancer." Now what? How can you turn these fearful words into the first step on a journey of strength and healing? You'll discover that these words are more powerful than you think. So powerful that they can help you uncover a level of bravery and fortitude you might not feel is possible right now—one that lies deep within you, ready to emerge, ready to fight. You can transform your feelings of dread and despair into triumph.
Inside, you'll discover intimate first-person accounts of breast cancer survivors, women who confronted their diagnosis, clutched the thoughts, hopes, and encouragement already present in their daily lives, and embraced new ideas and old passions that helped sustain them during their struggle to restore their health.
These touching personal stories are told by special women who dug a little deeper to climb the biggest mountain of all. Their reassuring words are like having a welcome friend come to you in a moment of need—an invaluable source of strength, wisdom, love, and laughter. Page after page, you'll learn not only how to survive, but also how to forge a powerful and positive mental attitude.
An official book tie-in with Cure Breast Cancer, Inc. A portion of the royalties from this book will benefit breast cancer research, education, and outreach.


From the Inside Flap
From The Breast Cancer Book of Strength & Courage:
This was a special night, a night when I would share with the public one of the most private parts of my battle against breast cancer. This was the night I would share my story of hair loss. . . . Steve turned to me, the camera took a two shot, and there I was, for the first time in my life, anchoring a newscast without a strand of hair on my head.
It was quite a moment, for many reasons. Mainly, for me, it represented how far I'd come, and how much I'd grown! Cancer has become a journey of self-discovery that has helped me develop self-confidence and learn to love myself for myself.
— Anchorwoman Leslie Mouton, who reported the news in Texas one night while bald due to chemotherapy treatments
Perhaps you or a loved one has recently heard the words, "You have breast cancer." Now what? How can you turn these fearful words into the first step on a journey of strength and healing? You'll discover that these words are more powerful than you think. So powerful that they can help you uncover a level of bravery and fortitude you might not feel is possible right now—one that lies deep within you, ready to emerge, ready to fight. You can transform your feelings of dread and despair into triumph.
Inside, you'll discover intimate first-person accounts of breast cancer survivors, women who confronted their diagnosis, clutched the thoughts, hopes, and encouragement already present in their daily lives, and embraced new ideas and old passions that helped sustain them during their struggle to restore their health.
These touching personal stories are told by special women who dug a little deeper to climb the biggest mountain of all. Their reassuring words are like having a welcome friend come to you in a moment of need—an invaluable source of strength, wisdom, love, and laughter. Page after page, you'll learn not only how to survive, but also how to forge a powerful and positive mental attitude.
An official book tie-in with Cure Breast Cancer, Inc. A portion of the royalties from this book will benefit breast cancer research, education, and outreach.


About the Author
Ernie Bodai, M.D., F.A.C.S., is a surgeon and the director of Breast Surgical Services at Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento, California. The driving force behind the United States Postal Service's Breast Cancer Research Stamp, Dr. Bodai is a popular speaker nationwide on breast cancer and the author of I Flunked My Mammagram!

Judie Fertig Panneton is an award-winning journalist with more than 25 years of experience in newspapers, television, and radio. She lives in Sacramento, California, with her husband, John, and daughters, Leah and Haley.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

From The Breast Cancer Book of Strength & Courage:
This was a special night, a night when I would share with the public one of the most private parts of my battle against breast cancer. This was the night I would share my story of hair loss. . . . Steve turned to me, the camera took a two shot, and there I was, for the first time in my life, anchoring a newscast without a strand of hair on my head.
It was quite a moment, for many reasons. Mainly, for me, it represented how far I'd come, and how much I'd grown! Cancer has become a journey of self-discovery that has helped me develop self-confidence and learn to love myself for myself.
— Anchorwoman Leslie Mouton, who reported the news in Texas one night while bald due to chemotherapy treatments
Perhaps you or a loved one has recently heard the words, "You have breast cancer." Now what? How can you turn these fearful words into the first step on a journey of strength and healing? You'll discover that these words are more powerful than you think. So powerful that they can help you uncover a level of bravery and fortitude you might not feel is possible right now—one that lies deep within you, ready to emerge, ready to fight. You can transform your feelings of dread and despair into triumph.
Inside, you'll discover intimate first-person accounts of breast cancer survivors, women who confronted their diagnosis, clutched the thoughts, hopes, and encouragement already present in their daily lives, and embraced new ideas and old passions that helped sustain them during their struggle to restore their health.
These touching personal stories are told by special women who dug a littledeeper to climb the biggest mountain of all. Their reassuring words are like having a welcome friend come to you in a moment of need—an invaluable source of strength, wisdom, love, and laughter. Page after page, you'll learn not only how to survive, but also how to forge a powerful and positive mental attitude.
An official book tie-in with Cure Breast Cancer, Inc. A portion of the royalties from this book will benefit breast cancer research, education, and outreach.

Author Biography: Ernie Bodai, M.D., F.A.C.S., is a surgeon and the director of Breast Surgical Services at Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento, California. The driving force behind the United States Postal Service's Breast Cancer Research Stamp, Dr. Bodai is a popular speaker nationwide on breast cancer and the author of I Flunked My Mammagram!

Judie Fertig Panneton is an award-winning journalist with more than 25 years of experience in newspapers, television, and radio. She lives in Sacramento, California, with her husband, John, and daughters, Leah and Haley.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly