Recovering From Mortality: Essays From A Cancer Limbo Time

by Deborah Cumming

At the time that Deborah Cumming wrote Recovering from Mortality , she was living in a situation not widely recognized but shared by many people. She knew that she might die soon, yet she was not dying now. What is a person to think in this limbo time? How is a person to act? Rather than accept formulaic answers to these questions, she decided to discover her own path. She didn't want to pass on her answers to others; she didn't believe she knew universal answers. Nor was she interested in adding another story of a cancer patient who survived heroically or died movingly. She did want to commune with others in limbo, with people who might find it a lonely or mysterious condition. And she felt increasingly that she was talking about the human condition in general, for whether we acknowledge it or not, all our lives will end in the not-very-distant future. She felt she wanted to be in communication, not just with the dying, but with the living. This poignant collection of essays examines how we live our lives, in large and small ways. Friendship, family, neighbors, community-these help define who we are and Deborah Cumming writes about them with insight, and with heart.

116 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2005

Reviews

[Mary Karpel-Jergic · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book which addresses how Deborah Cumming managed to navigate her life post cancer diagnosis. "She knew that she might die soon, yet she was not dying now. What is a person to think about in this 'limbo' time".

There is very little in this book that portrays the physical aspects of the disease, instead there is a rich narration of how the mind responds to a life threatening disease. An honest account which stuns in both its simplicity and authenticity, these essays grapple with life and death matters with grace.