Why: A Memoir of Love and Lymphoma

by John Melithoniotes

There is no test of a couple’s bonds like the revelation that one of them has a life-threatening disease. One of them, a husband, wife, or partner, will become a patient who may need care from the other almost constantly. This is the story of John and Marilyn, whose love of nearly forty years encounters a diagnosis of Marilyn’s Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. John’s memoir describes the complexities of how they navigated their way through a large urban cancer hospital, their daily attempts to manage the side effects of chemotherapy, and their emotional struggle to cope with a worsening crisis. He revisits key scenes from their lives in the hope of understanding their actions and the surprises in store for both of them.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Health

308 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 26, 2023

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really sad. Anyone who’s had a loved one that was unexpectedly and suddenly diagnosed with cancer can relate to this story.

[Norene Yarbrough-Olivares · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

Well told, John recounts the story with love and respect and sincerity. Very well written, John, and RIP, Marilyn. 😍

[Koren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looking for a book that I could learn more about living with lymphoma, this was not it. This was more about the husband's experience with his wife's cancer and not much at all about the patient. Some things didn't really seem to ring true, such as how quickly she went downhill from day one of her diagnosis and only survived a few months after her diagnosis. If you want to learn more about the patient experience I would look for something different.

[Carrie Hornung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly readable

This is a memoir in it's purest form. I could hardly put this book down once I started reading. This isn't one of those stories where everything comes out better in the end. This is that other kind of memoir. The kind where things don't go as one hopes. All in all a beautifully written honest human interest story.

[Lori G · Rating 2 out of 5]

More like a journal

I cannot recommend this book. It reads like a robotic list of what happened, and then what happened next. I am shocked that it was written by someone with writing credentials. That said, I did read the whole book…..

[Susan Sanders Hendrix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book to get a perspective of what my husband is going through in being my caregiver as I suffer the wicked game of chemotherapy. It was spot on. Most people have no clue of the realities. Well done. A love story.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very human account of living and dying

It is not an easy account to read. The honesty and pain both physical and emotional is palpable. It is truly a love story and a tribute to Marilyn and John who kept a promise to one another.

[jan henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I managed to read this book to the end, but it really did need some serious editing. I get the impression that it didn’t have any editing at all. It could have been a much better book and I was slightly irritated by the style of it going backwards and forwards to the early days and then forwards again to The cancer treatment.. It stands as a testament to the question of whether it’s worth going through with round after round of chemotherapy when the suffering is so great.