Navigating the Minefield of Cancer

In August 2007, Joann Temple Dennett was diagnosed with two cancers-mesothelioma and NSCLC/BAC (non-small cell lung cancer/bronchioloalveolar carcinoma). Mesothelioma is uniformly fatal. The prognosis: six months to two years. In 2010, a third cancer, pancreatic, added to the deadly mix. Calling on her 50-plus years as a science writer, Dr. Dennett has documented the course of her last six years in this engaging, accessible, and useful book. It follows her path as she attempted to learn about her disease-what it was, how to find the best help available, and how to manage new threats that seemed to come too frequently. In this first-person account, Dr. Dennett shares her experiences with multiple primary cancers regarding what she did, how she found information, how she tried to assess the potential usefulness of this information, and how she responded to unexpected detours along the way. Read the choices she made, the questions she asked, the answers she sought, and the resources she used. Read with an eye for gaining tools for advocacy during treatment for yourself or a loved one. If you are in the medical profession, read to understand how the road looks from the other side of a deadly prognosis.