Coping with the Big C: Compassion: A Left-Brained Introvert Deals with Caring Family, Friends and, Oh Yeah, Cancer

by Jack Pelar, Colleen Pelar

Jack Pelar is an introvert. He really does like people . . . just in small doses. He enjoys spending time with them . . . for a while. He wants to be the center of attention . . . on his terms. And he thinks that asking him how he's feeling is a legitimate question . . . if you are his wife. When Jack was diagnosed with a rare sinus cancer, everything changed. In addition to dealing with doctors, medical tests, and insurance companies, Jack had to cope with worried friends, family, and coworkers. Everyone wanted to know, “How are you feeling?” And they didn’t ask just once; some asked every day! Since hiding in a cave and avoiding all human contact was not an option, Jack had to develop some new coping skills and fast! His left-brained way of thinking, stubborn determination, and quirky sense of humor carried him through the hardest year of his life. His wife, Colleen, spent the year trying to cope with how Jack was coping. Jack and Colleen share the good and the bad in this uncomfortably funny journal. Coping with the Big Compassion gives you a fresh perspective on cancer. You won’t be the same after reading this book. “If you’re curious about the real details of a lengthy cancer experience—gory, practical, and enlightening—this book will be a mind-opening experience, whether you are left-brained, right-brained, or something in between.” Katrina Firlik, MD, author of Another Day in the Frontal A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside

256 pages

First published November 3, 2011

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A funny and moving book about surviving cancer, and surviving the treatments, doctors, insurance, and kindness that comes with it.