Still with Me: A Daughter's Journey of Love and Loss

by Andrea King Collier

Andrea King Collier has used her mother's valiant but losing battle with ovarian cancer to write an honest, funny, empowering book that has relevance to anybody, anywhere, who has loved and lost a parent. And with it, she also deliberately breaks new ground in the African-American community by openly discussing cancer and terminal illness. On Andrea's ninth wedding anniversary, her mother called and said simply, "They think I have cancer." A year later, nearly to the day, her mother died. In the intervening twelve months, Andrea took on the enormous role of caregiver and principal support system while juggling the needs of her own children and husband. She became both a clearinghouse for cancer information and her mother's chief advocate regarding her medical care, but she never stopped being the daughter of an outspoken, independent woman who insisted on confronting her illness on her own terms. She soon found out that all the stuff that mothers and daughters carry around for years doesn't just disappear because cancer shows up.

Andrea Collier's voice is that of a best friend who shares the frustrations, anger, and setbacks of a family dealing with a terminal illness. And she candidly describes how both she and her mother were sustained and transformed by their mutual love and devotion.

Whether navigating the maze of diagnosis, treatment, and quality of care, or finding joy in the everyday dramas of being a mommy to two little children or searching for ways to go back to "normal" after the loss of a loved one, Collier writes with honesty, humor, and hope. "Still with Me" is a love letter to all mothers and daughters.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published April 8, 2003

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this is a book I would read again just to entertain myself. I laughed out loud many times in this book especially when the author describes the trip she takes with her terminaly ill mother to Las Vegas. This book will provide thought for your relationship with your mother. This book is about the trials of a daughter takig care of her mother who is in the midst of being treated for cancer. This book is about family and survival. Collier's insight and humor will capture your heart and funny bone! A Michigan notable book author and a must read book.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a *Michigan Notable* Book...I read it for a summer reading program and had to read a book in this category, it was a good book and was fun to read about something that happened in your home state..

[Anastasia · Rating 2 out of 5]

King Collier's book is a quick, touching read, but not a very great piece of literature.