How We Survived Prostate Cancer: What We Did and What We Should Have Done - Hardcover

Hallerman, Victoria; Albert, Peter S.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1557048142 ISBN 13: 9781557048141

Publisher: William Morrow, 2009

Synopsis

In this unflinchingly honest account of one couple's struggles through prostate cancer, told from the wife's point of view, Victoria Hallerman writes poignantly of the six-year journey that changed the landscape of her and her husband's lives. She and Dean had been married 33 years when he got the news and underwent treatment that included radioactive seeds and hormone therapy, with severe and unexpected results.

Both a moving memoir and a supportive guidebook, How We Survived Prostate Cancer is a cautionary tale to make sure others don't make the same mistakes that Hallerman and her husband made along the way. It addresses everything from redefining intimacy to a wife's anger and loneliness in the face of her husband's illness, and offers:

• A compelling personal story of one couple's difficulties and ill-informed choices
• "In Dean's Words": comments on the treatment and its aftermath
• "What We Know Now": nuggets of hard-won advice
• Interviews with wives of prostate cancer survivors
• Treatment options and suggested questions for doctors
• Dr. Peter Albert's Top Ten List for Patients and Partners
• Comprehensive Glossary and Resource section

About this title

About the Author

Victoria Hallerman's poetry has appeared in numerous literary magazines, and her book of poems, The Aerialist, won the Bright Hill Prize. Now a committed health activist in her local chapter of “Man to Man,” a national prostate cancer survivor support network, she is also co-founder of “What About Me?,” an American Cancer Society support group for men and women whose partners are cancer patients or survivors. She and her husband, Dean, live in New York City.

From the Back Cover

In this unflinchingly honest account of one couple's struggles through prostate cancer, told from the wife's point of view, Victoria Hallerman writes poignantly of the six-year journey that changed the landscape of her and her husband's lives. She and Dean had been married 33 years when he got the news and underwent treatment that included radioactive seeds and hormone therapy, with severe and unexpected results.

Both a moving memoir and a supportive guidebook, How We Survived Prostate Cancer is a cautionary tale to make sure others don't make the same mistakes that Hallerman and her husband made along the way. It addresses everything from redefining intimacy to a wife's anger and loneliness in the face of her husband's illness, and offers:

• A compelling personal story of one couple's difficulties and ill-informed choices
• "In Dean's Words": comments on the treatment and its aftermath
• "What We Know Now": nuggets of hard-won advice
• Interviews with wives of prostate cancer survivors
• Treatment options and suggested questions for doctors
• Dr. Peter Albert's Top Ten List for Patients and Partners
• Comprehensive Glossary and Resource section

Reviews

Starred Review. More than just a personal memoir, this tour of duty from the wife of a prostate cancer survivor is packed with critical information on the nature of the disease, current treatment options and the process of choosing a physician. Both as individuals and a couple, the Hallermans made many mistakes--first among them was Dean's decision to hide his diagnosis from his wife--and this guide benefits enormously from their honesty (poet Victoria narrates, Dean contributes short personal asides). From treatment decisions made without adequate information to the drastic changes in their sex life, Hallerman is blunt and unflinching regarding their mortal and marital crises, and explicit in her advice to avoid despair, self-blame and isolation. Thorough, clearly written glossary and appendices cover treatments, side effects, resources for information and support, current research and a checklist of "must do's" from Dean's current urologist (who also provides a foreword). Though Dean suffered horribly before finding a doctor and regimen that worked for him, this moving and highly useful book proves his setbacks were not in vain.
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Edition details

• Publisher: William Morrow
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1557048142
• ISBN 13: 9781557048141
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240