A DIFFERENT BREAST CANCER STORY... a survivor's story of how Tamara struggled to straddle the worlds of mainstream and complementary medicine, and the team that helped her.
After being diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer, Tamara Levine wrote the first of eleven letters she would send to family and friends throughout her "year from hell". The nightmare that hangs over every woman's head has descended upon me. I have been transported to a new country like an unwilling (and unwitting) immigrant, even a deportee, uprooted from all that is familiar and dropped into a strange, inhospitable, and dangerous land.
Much more than a memoir, But Hope is Longer documents a personal odyssey that is also a universal one, offering insight, compassion, strategies, and surprises that individuals, families, and professionals dealing with cancer will find invaluable. Here Tamara shares the minefields, startling paradoxes, and unexpected joys of her healing journey. "Once I could accept that dying before my time was a possible outcome of my cancer, I was less afraid and I could more fully embrace and fight for my life."
Confronted by the daunting labyrinth of the cancer care system, she fought to find a treatment plan that made sense for her. Above all, she strove to navigate and bring together the worlds of mainstream and complementary medicine. Tamara brings us the voices of her team of healers: her oncologists, surgeon, naturopathic doctor, and life coach. They share their expertise, why they choose to do this work, how they cope with the inevitable losses, and their hopes and visions for cancer care.
Published 2012 | Publisher: Second Story Press | Print Length: 296 Pages | Language: English
BOOK REVIEWS
"Being diagnosed with breast cancer changes you, irrevocably. In But Hope is Longer, Tamara Levine writes beautifully of her own transformative process… more
"Like a gentle and wise friend who has just returned from a trip to hell, Levine beckons readers to pull up a chair, sit tight, and learn from her experience. … more
"Were I to find or be told of a health problem such as Levine experienced with her cancer diagnosis, I would be as likely to go back to her book... more
"A must-read resource for oncology healthcare providers and for those diagnosed with cancer... more
"(A) thoughtful, well-written, informative and essential book, not just for those who have cancer... more
"But Hope is Longer delivers without being upsetting... more
"With strength and wisdom for those who are facing this ordeal ... more
"Part testimonial and part resource, Tamara takes us on her journey… more
Tamara Levine | Author
Tamara is a long-time adult educator and literacy activist. She pioneered workplace literacy and clear language initiatives across Canada with the Ontario Federation of Labour and the Canadian Labour Congress. Following breast cancer treatment and recovery, she retired from her job in labor education in 2011. She lives in Ottawa with her family where she writes, sings, walks, and is learning the ukulele.
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