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Defy & Conquer: A State Of Mind Against Terminal Brain Cancer
This ebook contains over 70 reference links, helping cancer patients and caregivers learn more about Ms. Elwell's professional team at Barrow Neurological Institute, the Ketogenic Diet, and more. According to the American Brain Tumor Association, almost 70,000 Americans will be diagnosed with a primary brain tumor this year alone.If you or someone you care for shares the tragic reality of the above statement, Defy & Conquer will shed valuable light on contemporary cancer care, what to expect, and how to cope, physically, mentally, and spiritually.Mindy Elwell offers a captivating memoir, describing three years living with Anaplastic Astrocytoma (Grade III), from initial symptoms to early diagnosis, needle biopsy, adopting the Ketogenic Diet, a lifetime's worth of radiation, chemotherapy, and a craniotomy to finally remove the tumor, located deep within the thalamus.This first-person view of brain cancer spans traditional and adjuvant therapies, and is both educational and informative, with diagnostic and surgical notes disclosing pathology reports, the biopsy procedure, and the tumor resection surgery, which was performed utilizing state-of-the-art, intra-operative brain mapping.Learn about the metabolism of cancer cells and details on how to adopt the Ketogenic Diet through contributions from Ms. Elwell's professional team at the renowned Barrow Neurological Institute: Dr. Adrienne C. Scheck, brain tumor researcher, and Leonora Renda, RDN.Publisher's As Ms. Elwell states in her Introduction, not all cancer patients will experience cancer the way she did, nor will they respond the same to her treatment regimen or diet. If you are diagnosed with cancer, there is no more important source of information and guidance than your health professional. Defy & Conquer is not a replacement for professional medical care or advice, nor is it intended to be a How To in dealing with cancer. It is merely one brave woman's account against a deadly disease, shared with the public in the hopes of helping others cope and endure a similar situation.
246 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 25, 2015
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June 18, 2016
DEFY AND CONQUER
Ernest Hemingway, after being wounded during World War I working as an ambulance driver on the Italian front line recalled, “At that moment, the easiest thing for me to do was to die.” At the time I read this many years ago, I remember thinking to myself, “Well thank God he had the courage to live. Otherwise, I would have been robbed of some of the greatest and most enjoyable literature ever written.”
I bring this up because Mindy Elwell’s novel, “Defy and Conquer,” is very much about the choice that many cancer patients face. The choice between living and dying…and the choice is not always as black and white as it might seem. At first, I was hesitant to read this book. Like millions of other people, I have seen too many of my friends and family die from this terrible disease and I tend to shy away from the subject as often as I can—but in the end, I did pick it up and I am very, very glad I had the opportunity to learn about the courageous journey the author takes us on, from the initial diagnosis of terminal brain cancer to the removal of the tumor, and finally to the “diet” that has kept her cancer free.
The novel is autobiography but for this reader a good portion of the book reminded me of a diary. It is immensely personal and to Mrs. Elwell’s credit she does not shy away from any topic related to and affected by this “beast” of a disease, including the problem of intimacy with her caring and loving husband Rich. She shares letters that her three children wrote when they were confronted with the real possibility of losing their mother. She shares the helpless and debilitating feelings she experiences as the once-simplest of chores becomes difficult and her ability to walk and speak are compromised. The brain controls the body and when this all-important organ is hampered and intruded upon by a deadly tumor, a biopsy of the tumor, chemotherapy, removal of the tumor and forty-five treatments of radiation, the brain is not going to react very kindly. As Mrs. Elwell is quick to point out, all the physical therapy in the world does not guarantee a complete recovery… but it is better than dying, and for this very courageous lady it presents her the opportunity of seeing her children grow up and continue enjoying the company and unconditional love of her husband, family, and friends.
Mrs. Elwell is also quick to acknowledge the amazing support her religious beliefs played in her recovery… as well as the wonderful doctors, nurses, community services and Internet research that provided her with invaluable information. The book is a survival kit and a useful option and choice for brain cancer patients and, for this reader, it provided an intimate look at how the human body works in simple, precise, and clear language.
The last part of the book is dedicated to the Ketogenic Diet, that has been around for some time but has gained a lot more attention of late in medical journals and major newspapers such as the New York Times, which did a piece on it just a short while ago. In short, the diet starves the cancerous tumor of its main energy source that is SUGAR and, in turn, stops the cancer from spreading… shrinking the tumor… and after removal of the tumor stopping any reoccurrence of the cancer and killing off any cancer cells that might have survived the chemotherapy and radiation treatments. It has worked for Mrs. Elwell and hopefully it can also work for other cancer patients. The diet is detailed quite thoroughly but Mrs. Elwell is quite insistent, and rightfully so, that the diet should only be implemented under the guidance of trained professionals.
JZ Bingham is also credited with writing the book and her editing of the book, like always, is wonderfully crafted. I strongly recommend.
Ernest Hemingway, after being wounded during World War I working as an ambulance driver on the Italian front line recalled, “At that moment, the easiest thing for me to do was to die.” At the time I read this many years ago, I remember thinking to myself, “Well thank God he had the courage to live. Otherwise, I would have been robbed of some of the greatest and most enjoyable literature ever written.”
I bring this up because Mindy Elwell’s novel, “Defy and Conquer,” is very much about the choice that many cancer patients face. The choice between living and dying…and the choice is not always as black and white as it might seem. At first, I was hesitant to read this book. Like millions of other people, I have seen too many of my friends and family die from this terrible disease and I tend to shy away from the subject as often as I can—but in the end, I did pick it up and I am very, very glad I had the opportunity to learn about the courageous journey the author takes us on, from the initial diagnosis of terminal brain cancer to the removal of the tumor, and finally to the “diet” that has kept her cancer free.
The novel is autobiography but for this reader a good portion of the book reminded me of a diary. It is immensely personal and to Mrs. Elwell’s credit she does not shy away from any topic related to and affected by this “beast” of a disease, including the problem of intimacy with her caring and loving husband Rich. She shares letters that her three children wrote when they were confronted with the real possibility of losing their mother. She shares the helpless and debilitating feelings she experiences as the once-simplest of chores becomes difficult and her ability to walk and speak are compromised. The brain controls the body and when this all-important organ is hampered and intruded upon by a deadly tumor, a biopsy of the tumor, chemotherapy, removal of the tumor and forty-five treatments of radiation, the brain is not going to react very kindly. As Mrs. Elwell is quick to point out, all the physical therapy in the world does not guarantee a complete recovery… but it is better than dying, and for this very courageous lady it presents her the opportunity of seeing her children grow up and continue enjoying the company and unconditional love of her husband, family, and friends.
Mrs. Elwell is also quick to acknowledge the amazing support her religious beliefs played in her recovery… as well as the wonderful doctors, nurses, community services and Internet research that provided her with invaluable information. The book is a survival kit and a useful option and choice for brain cancer patients and, for this reader, it provided an intimate look at how the human body works in simple, precise, and clear language.
The last part of the book is dedicated to the Ketogenic Diet, that has been around for some time but has gained a lot more attention of late in medical journals and major newspapers such as the New York Times, which did a piece on it just a short while ago. In short, the diet starves the cancerous tumor of its main energy source that is SUGAR and, in turn, stops the cancer from spreading… shrinking the tumor… and after removal of the tumor stopping any reoccurrence of the cancer and killing off any cancer cells that might have survived the chemotherapy and radiation treatments. It has worked for Mrs. Elwell and hopefully it can also work for other cancer patients. The diet is detailed quite thoroughly but Mrs. Elwell is quite insistent, and rightfully so, that the diet should only be implemented under the guidance of trained professionals.
JZ Bingham is also credited with writing the book and her editing of the book, like always, is wonderfully crafted. I strongly recommend.
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