Giving cancer victims inspiration and hope

From survivors to doctors, 101 Chicken Soup for the Soul stories create a portable support group

COS COB, Conn. — For millions of people worldwide, a cancer diagnosis can feel like a death sentence. It’s compounded by feelings of loneliness and isolation, prompting many patients to withdraw from friends and family. But what if cancer inspired you to do just the opposite? What if it meant a call to community outreach, a mended family relationship, or a fresh perspective on life’s priorities? Chicken Soup for the Soul® has brought cancer patients and their loved ones the courage and strength to face the disease head-on.

The 101 stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cancer Book (Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC, March 2009, 978- 1-935096-30-6, $14.95) provide inspiration to help deal with every aspect of this terrible disease. From initial diagnosis to breaking the news to securing a medical team to chemotherapy and then recovery, the story collection in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cancer Book is the most extensive of its kind.

When cancer awareness advocate David Tabatsky set out to sort through thousands of cancer story submissions, he was struck by the outpouring of emotion, hope, and support he received. Everyone has a story to tell about cancer, each revealing a unique piece of the human spirit. As a result, the book serves as a hand-held cancer support group for anyone in cancer’s grip as well as for their friends and family. The story collection contains a cross-section of real-life experiences from medical professionals, patients, survivors and their loved ones — those who overcame cancer, and those who did not.

In a unique approach, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cancer Book is actually two books in one. “What if we stopped viewing cancer as a war, as something to fight against,” said the late Elizabeth Bayer whose memoir, It’s Just a Word: Reclaiming Your Life Through Cancer — Beautifully, is included in the back of the book. “What if a new perspective offered those with a cancer diagnosis the tools to design a gentle and beautiful journey, empowering them to reclaim their life along the way?”

The book includes stories from all ages, even as young as 11. The notable contributors include Sean Swarner, two-time cancer survivor and first survivor to summit Everest, Matthew Zachary, survivor and founder of the under-40 cancer community, ImTooYoungforthis.org, high-school student Emmarie Truman, recently recognized in Sports Illustrated as a star student athlete, prom queen and brain cancer survivor, National Geographic editor Mark Silver who chronicled his wife’s story and his role as a “breast cancer husband,” Hester Hill Schnipper, two-time breast cancer survivor and nationally known oncology social worker, and many more. A portion of the book’s proceeds will benefit colorectal cancer research.

In Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cancer Book, readers will also read about:

– How one man supported his wife through five bouts of breast cancer and later founded The Patient/Partner Project (www.thePPP.org )

– A 30-year Harvard oncologist who calls prostate cancer patients “the unsung heroes of cancer” (like contributor Werner Hass, both a cancer and a Holocaust survivor)

– How a then-39 year old executive from one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies welcomed a son just six months after a cancer diagnosis, and three years later, a daughter

– Barry Katz who founded Lotsa Helping Hands, a free, volunteer coordination service, after losing his wife

Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cancer Book (Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and David Tabatsky) releases in March 2009.

Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC, publishes all the latest titles in the famous Chicken Soup for the Soul book series which are distributed through Simon and Schuster, Inc. Since 1993, books in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series have sold more than 112 million copies, with titles translated into more than 40 languages. Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing also licenses the right to use its famous trademark to high quality licensees through IMG, the world’s premier licensing agent. The company is currently implementing a plan to expand into all media, is working with TV networks on several TV shows and is developing a major Internet presence dedicated to life improvement, emotional support and inspiration. In 2007, USA Today named Chicken Soup for the Soul one of the five most memorable and impactful books in the last quarter century.

For more information visit: www.chickensoup.com. To schedule an interview, or to receive a review copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cancer Book, please contact Stephanie Mayabb at (512) 478-2028 ext. 203 or smayabb@phenixpublicity.com. > “Throughout the entire process of treating Elizabeth she was a breath of fresh air for everyone in our office. Elizabeth simply refused to allow massive surgery and aggressive treatments to slow her down. She gave positive meaning to every aspect of her ordeal and her unique perspective benefited us all. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a cancer diagnosis touching their lives.”

~Steven J. Ketchel M.D. FACP, Arizona Oncology Associates

Elizabeth Bayer is the author of the inspirational memoir It’s Just a Word, which is a 45 page read included within Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cancer Book.

Elizabeth was introduced to Tucson, Arizona while spending family vacations at a local spa. She eventually moved there in 1991 to begin a new life.

She started working with the Victim Witness program (crisis intervention) in Tucson and remained with them on a volunteer basis for the next eight years. Elizabeth obtained her real estate license in 1993 and published a series of articles in a regional real estate publication.

Elizabeth was designated a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer from the University of Phoenix in 2000. She was employed full—time as an Executive Assistant for Raytheon.

Elizabeth served as the Southwest Area Coordinator for The Way of the Heart since 2003.

Please visit www.elizabethbayer.com for a photo gallery, a link to the book, and a page dedicated to the songs she wrote, sang, and recorded.

“When I first met Elizabeth Bayer she had the worst case of ulcerative colitis I had ever seen. I recommended immediate surgery and Elizabeth’s response was, “Just so you know, I don’t own this!” She obviously knew something about herself that not even I, as her doctor, could recognize.

Elizabeth’s commitment to positive communication, her stubborn insistence on asking all the necessary questions, and, above all, her great humanity, created an environment which genuinely affected the normal psychology of the doctor-patient relationship.

Her wisdom, her humility and her loving kindness not only had a great bearing on Elizabeth’s own survival — they altered my approach to treating her, and future patients, before and after surgery, and throughout their entire recovery period.

Elizabeth’s insights could be of huge value to anyone, patient and medical professionals, alike, facing the fearful realities of cancer.

I highly recommend that attending physicians keep three copies of Elizabeth’s book in their office — one to read, themselves, a second for their staff to share, and a third in their reception area, for all of their patients’ benefit.”

~Becky Natrajan, M.D., P.C.

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