I Don't Have Time for This: My Battle with Cancer

For millions of people who are diagnosed with cancer, their first reaction is that they just received their death sentence. That reaction leads to a life of isolation, dependence and, often, misery for the cancer patient. One man refused to let that happen. He had a job he loved as a newspaper editor, a house to take care of, and, at 41 years old, a lot more years of life to live. So on the same night he was diagnosed with what would become a constant battle with cancer, he resolved to maintain a positive attitude. He would use that attitude to guide him through thirteen months of surgeries, as well as the physical torture of chemotherapy and radiation, and the emotional torture of MRIs and body scans. This editor was a busy guy in April 2002 when he was diagnosed with lung cancer and, quite frankly, he didn't have time for the disease. In one of the most inspiring books about living with cancer, author Tom Canavan opens the doors to his life and takes readers on the journey through his darkest period. "I Don't Have Time for This: My Battle with Cancer" is the story of a man who refused to surrender any part of his life while waging war against his illness. It is the story of a man who turns to his younger brother, an oncologist, who guides him along the road to remission. "I Don't Have Time for This" is a book every cancer patient should want to read to assure themselves that life can be just as happy and fulfilling even after the diagnosis. The book also is recommended reading for families of cancer patients who can find understanding in what their loved ones are enduring following surgery and during radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Finally, it is the story of one man's strength, courage and heroism in the face of so many obstacles that the readers of his newspapers have labeled him an inspiration to so many people.

Thomas Canavan Jr. is editor in chief of Worrall Community Newspapers, a group of nineteen weekly newspapers serving twenty-three towns in New Jersey. He has served in this position ten of the last seventeen years he has been employed by the company. Mr. Canavan is the recipient of nine Press Association awards, two of which were the result of columns he had written about his experiences with cancer. One of the columns, which won first place in the annual newspaper contest, was the inspiration for this book. He is 43 years old and lives in New Jersey.