Silver Linings: The Other Side of Cancer - Softcover

Gullo, Shirley M.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1890504017 ISBN 13: 9781890504014

Publisher: Oncology Nursing Society, 1997

Synopsis

...an opportunity for oncology nurses, patients, and their families to share feelings about the cancer experience.

About this title

From the Publisher

If you are reading this preface, you likely are confronting cancer either personally or as a loved one, friend, or healthcare provider. The cold, hard statistics of cancer say that it is a common disease, striking more than 1.3 million men, women, and children in the United States every year. Given these statistics, few of us will complete our life's journey without knowing cancer personally or as a family member of someone stricken by the disease. In whatever context, cancer irrevocably changes your life. Regardless of the prognosis, to know cancer is to come face to face with uncertainty. Assumptions about a long and uncomplicated life are suddenly shattered. Most find their world turned upside down.

At first it may be hard to believe that any good or positive experiences could come from having cancer. Yet even in the most difficult of circumstances, the human spirit prevails. Stripped to the essentials, cancer helps each of us examine our priorities and reconnect with what is meaningful. Life becomes precious, and time becomes cherished in ways it never was before.

The greatest reward of being a cancer nurse is sharing the challenges of cancer and seeing the renewal of human spirit in those for whom we care. Shirley Gullo and Elaine Glass have seen the silver linings of cancer. These are stories that help and heal. They teach us how to live our lives with or without cancer, and they will challenge you to see the silver linings of your experience with cancer. As much as you need medical information before beginning treatment for cancer, you and your loved ones need the stories included in Silver Linings: The Other Side of Cancer. Healthcare providers will help you with the treatment of your disease, but these stories will help you reclaim the purpose and direction of your life as you continue your journey. (Kathi H. Mooney, RN, PhD, FAAN, AOCN, past president, Oncology Nursing Society.)

From the Author

(Editor) This book has been a labor of love strengthened by the spirit of many. We preceded each step with prayer for guidance, wisdom, and strength. The book involved contributions from many people. We sincerely thank all of them for their essential contributions.

Throughout the entire process, our families provided us with emotional support and time to persevere through the many hours required to complete the book. We shared many working weekends, which began at predawn and ended at midnight. The inspiration from the stories buoyed our tired bodies and minds as we saw the book taking form. Long telephone calls helped us to blend our skills and ideas in the manuscript preparation. Each step of the journey we became more excited as we realized the promise of hope and meaning the book would bring to those with cancer, their loved ones, and the many dedicated professionals caring for and about them.

We wish to acknowledge the cancer survivors, family members, friends, nurses, and others who contributed their stories. They cared enough to share their time and innermost feelings in their stories. They honestly communicated all facets of emotions one deals with when diagnosed with cancer. With rare exception, they all expressed the desire to help others going through the cancer experience. Without them, this book would not have been possible. They are true heros and heroines of Silver Linings: The Other Side of Cancer. (Shirley Gullo and Elaine Glass)

Edition details

• Publisher: Oncology Nursing Society
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 1890504017
• ISBN 13: 9781890504014
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 244