I’m very proud and honored to announce the publication of my second book “Twenty Stories: Resilience, Courage, and Hope in the Face of Cancer,” a collection of personal accounts that takes readers on an intimate journey through the lives of 20 cancer patients and survivors from around the world. In this second book in the Live Life Now Project series, I, bring forth a compilation of articles that offer resilience, courage, and hope to those facing adversity, as told by 20 individuals who have been through the cancer journey.
I started Live Life Now Project originally to help all individuals gain a deeper understanding of what truly matters in life. The project aims to achieve this by sharing the wisdom gained from cancer patients, who have faced a potentially life-threatening illness and come to a profound understanding of what’s really important as we often lose sight of these facts as we go about our daily tasks and busy-ness.
Cancer patients undergo a transformative journey that reshapes their perspective on life. They learn to cherish their relationships, prioritise their goals, and find joy in the simplest of moments. Through sharing their stories and insights, both on Instagram (@LiveLifeNowProject) and in the first book of quotes, “Live Life Now Project: Cancer Patients Provide Inspiration for Life,” I have been able to continue this project’s mission of helping readers, followers, and contributors develop a similar perspective and cultivate a deeper appreciation for life.
For this second book in the series, I wanted to delve deeper into the stories of cancer patients from around the world, to understand more about the strategies they employed to help them through their battle whilst also looking at the lessons about life they learnt through their journey.
By interviewing 20 individuals and writing about their cancer experience, I discovered how they coped with the physical, emotional, and psychological challenges of their diagnosis, and learnt of the strategies they used to overcome the many challenges brought on by their diagnosis.
“Twenty Stories: Resilience, Courage, and Hope in the Face of Cancer” goes beyond brief quotes and offers an intimate portrait of their experiences, bringing readers closer to their triumphs, fears, and moments of profound insight. Each account reminds us that even in the darkest of times, hope can prevail. The courage and resilience displayed by these individuals will help guide others through their own struggles.
Cancer is a disease that affects millions of people around the world, regardless of age, gender, location, or ethnicity. “Twenty Stories: Resilience, Courage, and Hope in the Face of Cancer” does not offer medical advice – instead, it presents individual methods and strategies employed by specific individuals on their unique journeys. By sharing the wisdom of these cancer patients, this book aims to bring comfort and guidance to those currently battling cancer, individuals seeking inspiration, or anyone simply needing a reminder of life’s inherent value.
Below is a selection of brief quotes from the cancer patients and survivors written about in this collection, which captures the essence of their journeys. Their full story is contained in “Twenty Stories: Resilience, Courage and Hope in the Face of Cancer”.
Chris Breen from Sydney, Australia wisely reminds us, “There’s good stress and bad stress. Good stress keeps you on your toes and is healthy. The bad stress leads you to a dark place. How do you break it apart and get others to see the light in what’s ahead of them? You’ve got to push forward from that.”
Heather Smith from Wisconsin, USA emphasizes the importance of building a support network, saying, “Having a support network is very important, and you can build it however you like — be resourceful, be creative, think outside the box. You don’t have to get support from people who have the same type of cancer as you; you can get support from other people.”
Ann-Kristin Dyrseth from Norway reflects on the impact of her diagnosis on her children and offers valuable advice: “I worry more now about my kids, not just about daily life, but also who will inherit this after me. And how that will impact their life and their relationships. You know you can’t protect your children from real life, from sickness. Maybe I won’t be able to see my children grow up. And I try to teach my children to be bold enough to always be yourself, that you can be caring towards others but also allowed to set boundaries.”
Lauren Hutchison from Ohio, USA challenges societal perceptions of bravery, expressing, “If you’re being inspired just by the fact that I’m getting up and living my life like anyone else, it doesn’t make sense to me. But the whole idea of being brave when you truly don’t have a choice, that’s pretty irksome.”
Dave Dubin from New Jersey, USA a three-time cancer survivor, shares his insights on navigating the rollercoaster of emotions that cancer brings, stating, “You’re going to have bad days, we all do. Cancer patients typically have more bad days than others. Tomorrow is another day and an opportunity.”
Of friends and family, Vincent Keen from Shepperton, UK has seen many come and go over the years: “Some have gone, some have filtered in and out, and a few have stayed, but they stay at what I would call a safe distance. Most people just don’t want to be anywhere near it.”
Tom Hulsey from Texas, USA sheds light on the impact of prostate cancer, emphasizing the need for awareness and conversation. He highlights the silence and stigma surrounding the disease, saying, “For many men, it’s the embarrassment and humiliation of having a cancer that impacts your manhood. Prostate cancer is terribly underfunded and misunderstood compared to other cancers because men don’t talk about it. They do not engage because of the personal nature of the problem. I was there.”
Margie Mobley of Tennessee, USA sought stories of survival and inspiration, sharing her desire to hear about people living with cancer and living after cancer. Her words resonate with many who long for stories of hope amidst the challenges of a cancer diagnosis: “Everywhere I turned soon after my diagnosis, I was reminded by people that cancer equalled death. They would talk about their grandmother or others they knew who died of cancer. I was looking for stories of survival. I wanted to hear about people who were living with cancer, and living after cancer.”
Stuart Dovey of Shrophire, UK finds solace and joy in the small moments, remarking, “I’ve certainly come to the conclusion that taking pleasure in the really small things is a lot more important than anything else. Individual moments can just be really fabulous. There are times I’ll be sitting in the kitchen and the sun’s come down, and I’d see a little bird land on a plant and that gives me a lot more pleasure now than a couple of years ago — I probably wouldn’t have noticed it, it would have just passed me by.”
Dr. Marc Büdenbender from Switzerland reflects on his cancer diagnosis, appreciating life in all its facets. He shares, “Since being diagnosed, I appreciate life with all its facets and much more. There’s no time to waste. I try to accept the disease and live without regrets.”
Judy Hanger from South Africa highlights the camaraderie between cancer patients, saying, “There is an unspoken bond between cancer patients. Walking into the chemotherapy sessions, I felt the camaraderie between patients — there was no complaining, no moaning, it was very upbeat. Many days, I walked out of chemo feeling uplifted because I created beautiful connections with other people.”
Stef Gayhart of Maryland, USA reflects on her transformation, sharing, “It has changed me more than anything ever could. I talk a lot about my ‘Phoenix process’ and how I kind of fell into the ashes and have risen again, and ‘Stef 2.0’ is stronger than she was before. But it took a lot. There’s a lot of trauma that went with it.”
Kunwar Ujjwal Singh based in India offers words of encouragement to teenage patients, saying, “The very first piece of advice I would give to a teenage patient is that there’s a whole lot of beautiful life still lying in front of you — just don’t give up, and keep your head held high. You became a warrior the day your treatment started, and warriors never bend their knees. Keep doing what makes you happy even during treatment. Develop any hobby of yours and spend time on that, and trust me, you will become a new upgraded version of yourself after treatment is over.”
Tara Coyote who lives in Hawaii emphasizes the importance of self-care, self-love, and nurturing during the cancer journey, stating, “It’s so important when you’re going through cancer, whatever kind of cancer you have, to really give yourself that self-care and self-love and nurturing.”
Mari Carmen from Spain reflects on the gravity of a cancer diagnosis, sharing, “If I have a bad day, I always think someone somewhere today has been told they have cancer — this is the worst thing you can hear. I don’t care if you’ve had a bad day in the office, at your job, in the traffic, with your children, whatever — if you haven’t been told today you have cancer, you have had a good day, the best day you can imagine. Nothing compares to hearing these three words: ‘You have cancer.'”
Paola Benitez from Colombia, South America describes the transformative impact of her diagnosis on her relationship with herself, stating, “The biggest relationship change I had was with the way I relate to myself. I started to meditate every day and I also started visualizing my healing and health. This all helped me change the relationship I had with ‘me.’ I started to find out that I didn’t know how to love myself — I wanted to build that relationship and started learning about myself, getting in touch with myself, trying to really figure out what I want — and that changed a lot about how I began to relate to myself and, as a result, the way I relate to people.”
London-based Paola Marra shares her newfound happiness and gratitude, saying, “Strangely, I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I have more fun. I don’t worry about what people think of me or necessarily what I look like. I just live. I live way more than I did. I’m much freer than I’ve been. And I have so much gratitude.”
Margaret Kennedy Hay from the State of Washington, USA offers advice to family and friends supporting a loved one through cancer, suggesting, “I think they just really need to give permission for whatever the patient needs to feel — if it’s anger, if they’re hurt, whatever it is, let them feel their feelings. And feel it with them. Just be alongside them. It’s not always going to be comfortable. It’s hard, it’s hard for everybody.”
California, USA-based Mark Lees reflects on the importance of understanding the gift of time and the power of connections, stating, “Learn to understand the precious gift of time. There’s always hope, there’s inch-by-inch, and there’s step-by-step. It isn’t the event that messes it up, it isn’t the cancer diagnosis that messes it up, it’s our thoughts about the cancer diagnosis. It’s that huge story we spin in our head and that crazy-ass story we invent. It’s also about connection with others and people support.”
Joe Fazzini of Indiana, USA sheds light on the mental health aspect of cancer, sharing, “The mental health aspects are so much worse most times. If somebody ever asked me again, what would I rather have: Surgery or chemicals? I’d say I would take surgery anytime. I can come back from the physical part of this disease, but what those chemicals were doing to me mentally was harsh, it was just some of the darkest times in my life.”
These are just a few brief glimpses into the remarkable stories contained within “Twenty Stories: Resilience, Courage, and Hope in the Face of Cancer.” Each quote represents a unique perspective and valuable insight from individuals who have experienced the profound challenges of the disease.
Through “Twenty Stories: Resilience, Courage and Hope in the Face of Cancer” we learn many of the profound lessons shared by these incredible individuals as they talk about their cancer experience. Their stories remind us of the unbreakable human spirit and the capacity to find strength, joy, and gratitude even in the face of immense challenges and the darkest of times.
“Twenty Stories: Resilience, Courage and Hope in the Face of Cancer” by Richard Calautti is now available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle version.
