Discussing Breast Cancer

Remember when I suggested we read “Nordie’s at Noon”? Yes, that was September 17th. I’m averaging two months to read a book. How pathetic is that? I remember the day when I could/would read a book in one sitting even if it meant staying up to the wee hours. But now that I hit the pillow exhausted, there’s no more staying up until 2:00 or 3:00 am to gobble up every last page before turning in.

I know one of my loyal readers, Sherry, did just that when she dug into “Nordie’s at Noon”; God bless her, I imagine she no longer has kids living under her roof! Make sure you read her review when you’re done reading mine!

So “Nordie’s at Noon” … the personal stories of four women “too young” for breast cancer. (2006; Da Capo Press; Cambridge, MA; $20 USD).

Whenever I meet a breast cancer survivor, I instantly revel in our commonalities and feel a strong bond connecting us that is intangible but very, very real. It was no different when this book introduced me to the four authors: Patti, Kim, Jennifer and Jana. Even the preface included thoughts on one such commonality. They were of course talking about the bond between the four of them, but for me as a reader, it was a bond between myself and them: “our common bond was ever present: a sense that life is a precious gift and that maybe our affliction was a blessing in disguise because it made us appreciate life all the more” (pg. xvii).

A precious gift indeed. The fact that two of the four authors have passed away makes me want to appreciate life all the more indeed. But I diverge …

Another thing that bonded these women appeared in a chapter on the treatment choices that survivors must make: “Against a backdrop of differences and similarities, we each made choices that were the best for us as individuals. And despite our varying treatment paths, we shared one choice: We chose to face breast cancer head-on, to fight it with all our might, and we were willing to do whatever it might take to live” (page 32).

Amen. Whatever it might take. We fight to live.

Further into the book Kim wrote this sentence and it was another point that totally resonated with me: “I may not be able to be in control of the cancer, but I am in control of how I live my life, and I choose to make the most of each and every day God has given me” (page 92).

Amen. Each and every day.

This theme presented itself through the book. When Patti died, the remaining three survivors vowed to remember her greatest lesson: “Live life to the fullest and receive each day as a gift” (page 234). Jana mentioned towards the end of the book: “Now I wake up each morning realizing that this day is a gift and there are no promises for tomorrow” (page 238).

I was hooked by chapter five, having spend the first four chapters relating to each woman’s story of detection and diagnosis, treatment choices and surgeries. But the chapter on chemo almost lost me since I never had chemotherapy. They set out to address the question, “what is chemo really like?” and I think they answered it — so for anyone about to undergo chemo, they should check that chapter out, pronto.

I said it almost lost me … it continued to pull me in because the women started to share their deeper connection to God at this point, the point when they needed Him the most, and that to me was significant in it’s very own right.

Get this: In that very chapter, we learn about Kim’s “something for Jesus to do” box. If there were a problem too big for her to face, she’d write it down, put it in the box, and let God do his work. The verse that came within the box was FANTASTIC and it started like this: “Good morning. I am the Lord your God. Today, I will be handling all of your problems.” LOVE it. Kim consistently brought up her relationship with God … by the end she recognized she wanted to serve Him and glorify Him each and every day.

Chapter Six started to address the new normal — what the future would hold, determining if you ‘have’ vs. ‘had’ cancer — and the rest of the book went on to explain their fears and realities of recurrences. That’s where I started to falter and put the book down. Having faced a recurrence of my own, I was not ready to think about the question, ‘can it happen to me again’. This book forced me out of denial for a time.

But when all is said and done, this book was a great read. Plus, the book ends with a glossary and resource listing. Of course a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book are donated to various nonprofit breast cancer organizations.

I think that whenever we read about women’s breast cancer stories it is important to remember we are all too young for breast cancer. I don’t give a dang if you are 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 or 60 or 70 or 80 or 90.

We’re all too young for breast cancer.

breast cancer, cancer, Nordie’s at Noon, Book Club, Patti Balwanz, Kim Carlos, Jennifer Johnson, Jana Peters