Cancer Etiquette: What to Say, What to Do When Someone You Know or Love Has Cancer - Hardcover

Kalick, Rosanne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0874604508 ISBN 13: 9780874604504

Publisher: Lion Books, 2004

Synopsis

At last, the definitive guide on how to respond when someone says, "I have cancer." Two-time cancer survivor Rosanne Kalick helps readers communicate caringly with the cancer patient. Many have had the gut-wrenching experience of having a friend or loved one reveal they have cancer, yet few can figure out how to react. Using real stories, Kalick conveys how much most people really want to say and do the right thing and how they often fail. Even those in the medical profession who work with cancer are guilty of etiquette "don’ts." The book is intended for patients, caregivers, family members, and friends. ". . . Patients and others will find a great deal of value here. The lay-out is unadorned; there are subsection headings, but readers will have to read through t to find the nuggets. This book is long overdue. Recommended for all libraries." - Bette Lee Fox, Library Journal

About this title

About the Author

Although cancer has changed Rosanne Kalick’s life, it has not changed who she is. While she no longer jogs (she had completed three New York City Marathons), she is an avid walker. A fishing rod, a lake, and a batch of worms provides hours of quiet pleasure for her. Every year she is the "fishing lady" at her retreat, where she makes fishing poles for the children and introduces them to the joys of fishing. She is particularly gifted in her ability to communicate, having been a Professor and Chairperson of the Library and Learning Resource Center at Westchester Community College in New York. She ultimately received the State University Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Librarianship. She adores her five grandchildren, and even though cancer anxiety is still a real part of her world, she nevertheless barrels past it and gets on with enjoying a busy, fruitful life.

From Publishers Weekly

A retired librarian, Kalick has survived both multiple myeloma (cancer of the bone marrow) and breast cancer. She shares many of her own stories as well as dozens of others' anecdotes in this manners guide to cancer. Some of her tales are difficult to believe; for example, when "James G." was diagnosed with cancer, an annoyed business associate told him "you got what you deserve." Clearly, such insensitive remarks are useless, and anyone who might say such a thing probably wouldn't pick up this book in the first place. All the same, there's some good advice to found here. For example, Kalick counsels readers to say "you look terrific" only when it's true, "not when you want it to be true." Hold off on sharing "war stories," she advises. And when you visit a cancer patient at home, provide distraction, however simple: an afternoon movie, a manicure excursion, or a simple walk outside. Be specific in how you offer to help: a comment like "I'm here for you" isn't as useful as "Do you want me to cook on Tuesday or Wednesday?" Kalick is not a psychiatrist, and her advice should be taken with a grain of salt, but she's been there twice and that certainly counts for something.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Lion Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0874604508
• ISBN 13: 9780874604504
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 146