Tits Up

It only takes seconds for your life to change.

It’s said that everybody knows someone who is battling, or has battled, cancer. In a breathtakingly personal account, Tits Up is the story of how Carole Paterson underwent breast cancer treatment from start to finish. Carole was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer, which affects just 15% of patients. To keep her mind focused during treatment, she documented her journey day by day, to create an easy to read commentary on life as a cancer patient. Focusing more on the personal side, the book is written with the sole purpose of reaching other cancer patients with the message: you are not alone.

Taking the reader by the hand, Carole leads us through every stage of her treatment: chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy, including a daily diary during chemotherapy to share thoughts and worries as she progressed. While it doesn't make light of the diagnosis, the book attempts to find light in the darkness where it can by sharing some of the humorous moments Carole experienced, as well as wedding preparations, shielding through the pandemic, and her focus on the future. In the firm belief that knowledge is power, Carole hopes to give the newly diagnosed a wealth of information that could help to make their journey a little easier to navigate. 

Companion, friend, advisor, shoulder, it's all of these and more. Intended to be a book that reaches into a nightmare and helps guide the way through, Tits Up is one that we hope we will never need, until we do. Brutally honest, and written with a blend of sensitivity and candour, Tits Up represents strength of spirit for both the author and the audience she is trying to reach.