Eight Billion Steps: My Impossible Quest for Cancer Comedy

by Jeffrey Penn May

UPDATED EDITION, 2023. What has happened in the ten years since the quest began?

Eight Billion Steps: My Impossible Quest For Cancer Comedy is about (as may seem obvious) finding humor in cancer. After Jeff was diagnosed with an extremely large and rare salivary gland tumor on the back of his tongue, throat and jaw, he and his wife began their fun-filled search for treatment. Eight Billion Steps is Jeff’s life-affirming odyssey, told with honesty and humor, interspersed with moments of terror. And includes practical information that may help you or a loved one.

246 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Landmark Prize Finalist MARGERY

“As I hiked further into the woods, deeper than I’d ever gone before, I noticed darkness not only surrounding me from the thick canopy of hardwood trees, their leaves abnormally large, but also felt a heaviness in my heart, a tightness in my chest that was counter to all my previous experiences hiking into the wilderness.”

And so begins Jeremy’s unusual and gripping personal journey, a backpacker wandering off the main trail, exploring where more reasonable people usually turn away. Hiking through dense undergrowth and crossing a stream, he’s surprised to find a young couple camping far from the trail. He is keenly aware of their vitality compared to his age and experience. He follows the couple to a strange, otherworldly town nestled in a mountain basin where the people are intriguing and outgoing, and a little odd, especially Margery.

Befuddled yet captivated, Jeremy comes to love his new friends who, unlike him, seem content in what remains of their lives – the young couple, a reticent doctor and his unusual wife, hikers of various ages trekking along the surrounding slopes. He observes a psilocybin trip-treatment for the young woman, and he falls for Margery. But he is confused by Margery’s contradictory behavior and the hint of an inner struggle.

Margery is courageous, embracing what life has given her as displayed not only by her daring interaction with nature, but also by her enigmatic purpose.

What can Jeremy learn from her? His effort to make sense of the craziness is occasionally misguided and humorous, but also full of affection, admiration, and hope.
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Jeffrey Penn May has won several fiction awards, including one from Writer’s Digest. He has received a Pushcart nomination and was a Landmark Prize finalist. Jeff wrote and performed a short story for radio and was a board member and consultant to a St. Louis theatre company.

Among other occupations, Jeff has been a hotel security officer, credit manager, deckhand, technical data engineer, and creative writing instructor. Jeff adventures include, floating a home-built raft from St. Louis to Memphis, navigating a John boat to New Orleans, digging for Pre-Columbian artifacts, and climbing mountains from Alaska to South America. For more information about Jeff’s world and works, visit www.askwritefish.com.

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although an existing fan of Jeff's writing (in particular Where The River Splits), I was maybe a little more reluctant to read this book. It's about Jeff's experience with a particularly nasty cancer (if any cancers can be described as nice)at the same time as he is experiencing other problems. It's perhaps a brave decision to write about all of this, and the reader can feel a bit like a fly on the wall sometimes. But what shines through Jeff's writing is his determination to beat the cancer, to resolve his other problems and to get on with his life. 'What a fantastic read' seems a bit lame, but on the wow factor scale of 1 to 3, this has to be a 4.

[Marilyn Slagel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book a few days ago and wanted to give some thought to it before posting a review. The author is not too far out from his fight with head and neck cancer. His story is gut-wrenching, gritty and so descriptive I felt I was making the journey with him. A cancer survivor myself, I could relate to some of his experiences and emotions. The humorous bits broke up the reality and made me smile. This is a book for the strong, not the squeamish. I recommend it to anyone who has survived the beast - it's a testimony to life.

[Carrie H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A realistic and honest look at living with and the journey through a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Written with integrity, and in a nod to the author's dislike of clichés, a real page-turner. Whether he is writing about attempts to maneuver around a new town or describing his complicated diagnosis in a way that is accessible to the reader, May's skill and attention to detail is obvious.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you GoodReads for a free copy of this book! This was a very motivating book. It tells the struggles of the author as he goes thru treatment for salivary gland cancer. It was sad but yet uplifting at the same time. He beat the cancer and was able to write about his experience.

[Jeffrey May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eight Billion Steps: My Impossible Quest For Cancer Comedy is a first-person narrative about (as may seem obvious) finding humor in cancer. After being diagnosed with an extremely large and rare salivary gland tumor on the back of my tongue, throat and jaw, Jeff and his wife began a fun-filled search for treatment. Eight Billion Steps is his personal odyssey, a life-affirming story told with honesty and humor, interspersed with moments of terror. (New 2023 Edition now available.)