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

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

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.