Book Review: Picking Up The Pieces

By ABCN Book Review

Last Updated: Oct 1, 2006
Articles & News : Articles : Books, DVDs & Magazines

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Sherri MacGee and Kathy Scalzo’s book, "Picking Up The Pieces:  Moving Forward After Surviving Cancer" is really a rescue book for the thousands of Canadians who are diagnosed with breast cancer and who find themselves waving good-bye to the doctors when the treatments are over and they are sent forward to continue life.  The question we all ask is, “What now?”

 

EVERY patient should be given this book!

 

It’s hard to believe this book is not written by breast cancer patients because as a survivor I can identify with everything they say.  The book, however, is written from consultations with breast cancer survivors and combined with the expertise of the authors it is a book that is sure to become dog-eared, scribbled in, and then shared.

Sherri MacGee has over 15 years experience designing personal cancer recovery programs and training health care professionals to work with survivors.  She is co-founder of the “Abreast in a Boat” dragon boat society and past Executive Director of the Hope House Cancer Centre in Vancouver; Kathy Scalzo is a consultant specializing in change and transition management who has worked with more than 200 health care organizations, professional associations and non-profit agencies.

One of the biggest dilemmas after breast cancer treatment is wondering how far to look ahead.  The authors say, “Whether you plan for next weekend, next week or the next five years, the key . . . is to regain the sense that you have a future – one that you will have a hand in shaping.

Picking up the Pieces is a ‘recovery program.’ The authors believe that “[i]t is during recovery that survivors begin to shift their attention from illness to wellness.”  The book is divided into four phases:  “Inquiry, Discovery, Growth, and Reflection” and each section is jam-packed with understanding, compassion, and guidance.

The goal of this book is to help breast cancer patients feel whole again.  It’s like having your very own 6 x 9 inch personal counselor. I highly recommend "Picking Up The Pieces" as a ‘must have’ for that amazing yet confusing new phase of our lives after surviving cancer.

To order visit http://www.raincoast.com  

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