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The Courage Club: A Radical Guide for Audaciously Living Beyond Cancer
No one is prepared for a cancer diagnosis, especially as a twenty- or thirty-something. When Katie was diagnosed with breast cancer at 30 her dreams of motherhood were put on pause, only to be thrown out the window when her cancer eventually became Stage 4 a year later. Struggling with physical pain, emotional trauma, her own mortality and the loss of her life’s most important meaning makers threw Katie’s life into crisis. Faced with the prospect of a potentially short life Katie knew she needed to find a way back to herself and the courage to live her life all in. Katie’s raw and honest stories about how she’s survived Stage 4 cancer provide a guide for courageous and heartfelt living even in the midst of crisis. By joining the Courage Club you’ll learn from her hard-won lessons on how to build a life you love. You’ll find inspirational stories and courageous examples of how Get beyond “grass is always greener” syndrome and learn to appreciate your life as it is Find the love and support you need most while overcoming your deepest held insecurities Discover tools accessible anytime, anywhere for managing trauma and overcoming painful emotions Take the fear out of eating and change your relationship with food Listen to your body and advocate for what it needs most Find inner peace by going outside, of your house and your comfort zone Build relationships that can weather any storm.
124 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 5, 2016
19 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 10, 2016
What a beautiful book written by a beautiful, inspirational woman! This book is not about dying from cancer; rather it's about living life to its fullest. Katie's Courage Club lessons are gentle reminders to all of us about the kind of life we SHOULD be living.
March 16, 2020
What a brave woman whose life ended too soon. I bought this book because she lived not too far from me. Here is her obituary from 3.5 years ago.
"Katie Campbell, a dying woman full of life, died on Aug. 20 from breast cancer at the age of 33. In June, she told The Frederick News-Post, “I did not lose a battle” if she died from cancer. Campbell’s triumphs were shown in the loved ones who packed Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick on Saturday afternoon for a celebration of her life.
Campbell’s influence as a humanitarian, advanced cancer advocate and author reached far and wide, and was displayed in the diverse crowd dressed in bright hues at Campbell’s request.
Before the memorial service, people gave each other long hugs with back rubs. A woman stood comforting her baby, which gave a powerful reminder how life can begin where it ends. Campbell’s husband, Andrew, stood in the foyer for a moment, as loved ones embraced him fiercely, almost helping him stand when waves of sadness came over him.
In many ways, Campbell’s memorial service was her long goodbye. Many of the songs and memorial decisions were selected by her.
The Rev. Dr. Carl Gregg invited the audience to center themselves with a calming prelude recording. The song transitioned to an opening welcome by Gregg and another song by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole that may have contained a message of comfort by Campbell. The line, “Somewhere over the rainbow is where you find me,” felt appropriate for a woman who reached the end of a painful journey. The playful ukulele music lifted some of the heaviness of the event, but many still dabbed their eyes with tissues during the song.
Donna Siegmund, Campbell’s mother, later spoke on her daughter’s life from a vantage point only a mom could have. Campbell was born three weeks late and required 56 hours of labor before a C-section. Siegmund, expecting her baby to have a misshapen head or any other unformed characteristic, was surprised that Campbell was “breathtakingly beautiful” with piercing blue eyes. As a baby, Campbell never slept, which concerned Siegmund. She called the doctor, and was informed that many babies who don’t sleep much are usually intelligent. Siegmund’s response, “Why couldn’t I have a stupid baby like everyone else?” brought laughter from the crowd. Siegmund described Campbell as being “bright, beautiful and articulate to the end of her life.”
This was a reoccurring theme throughout the memorial service, that “Katie was going to save the world.” As a child, Campbell tried to sell all of her belongings after an African mission trip to raise money for the less fortunate. When she was the editor of her high school paper, Campbell wrote a “sternly worded” letter to a rival school principal inspired by her passion to fight against racism and injustice. Campbell witnessed students chanting “We have futures” while Campbell’s ethnically diverse, lower-income high school was winning a basketball game. After that letter, the principal cancelled all pep rallies for the rest of the year. Campbell found out in college that she made enemies because of that act, but by that time, she was on her way to international human rights work in the relationships she built at an orphanage in Malawi. She was able to find joy in the lowest places, such as a Peace Corps teacher, where she got disadvantaged young men to let down their guard enough to hula hoop during lunch.
Campbell’s father, Gus Siegmund, highlighted his daughter’s humanitarian impact and the wisdom of her book, “The Courage Club: A Radical Guide to Audaciously Living Beyond Cancer.” He read the last three paragraphs of Campbell’s book, until he reached the line, “I decided to live it.” Siegmund rested his head and wept on the lectern until his son, Andy Siegmund, came to embrace him. Though Gus Siegmund previously said in a low, quiet rumble that “she could not have done more to prepare us for her passing,” the pain of loss remained.
Her husband, Andrew, closed the eulogies with a raw account of his wife that showed how human this champion for justice was. Campbell “held herself to a high standard,” whether that was her career, her dreams for motherhood or the strict diet and pill regiment she adhered to during cancer treatment.
This was apparent when they both worked at the same orphanage in Malawi. Andrew confessed, “I went and drank vodka with the guys at the orphanage and Katie was out changing the world.” Andrew reflected on a time when he said in tears, “I just want you to eat mac and cheese!” because Campbell’s discipline made her avoid simple pleasures during cancer treatment.
There was real tension in what Andrew explained as “Katie running ahead” in expressing love while he felt behind. “Katie dove in and it scared the s— out of me sometimes. It’s a Unitarian Church, you can say whatever you want.” The audience laughed before Andrew shared how Campbell’s three-year long cancer battle affected their marriage.
“Cancer felt like one devastation after another. Getting beat down over and over and over. Katie felt like she was losing pieces of herself. Had a lot of breakdowns. That was brutal for me.” There was a moment when Campbell rocked back and forth on the couch saying over and over again, “I can’t do this anymore.” In that pain, Campbell found her voice as an advocate for young adults living with cancer.
The couple also found new intimacy when Campbell’s prognosis became less hopeful. “That was our snuggle period.” Andrew used a term to describe the feeling of embracing a spouse you know you will lose. That word is heartful. “Heart being full of love for one another. It doesn’t matter what happens because we are here with each other right now.”
The last weeks of Campbell’s life included a trip to Colorado to attend a wedding and receive treatment. Campbell’s lungs were weakening, and the dry cough she had during her June interview gave way to the need for an oxygen tank. Andrew felt dread that the end was coming, but there was still some sweet moments left. Campbell, who felt bad for having an emergency room trip, told her husband, sorry. “You have to come up with a new term, you can’t say sorry. You have to say ‘fart noise.’ The nurses think we are crazy.” Andrew laughed. “When we were together in the hospital that fullness was there.” Andrew said all this before Campbell’s candle was extinguished during “Home Again” by Michael Kiwanuka. “When she died, I held her, my heart was full. This heartfulness that she taught me. She is there with you also. She is with us.” "
"Katie Campbell, a dying woman full of life, died on Aug. 20 from breast cancer at the age of 33. In June, she told The Frederick News-Post, “I did not lose a battle” if she died from cancer. Campbell’s triumphs were shown in the loved ones who packed Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick on Saturday afternoon for a celebration of her life.
Campbell’s influence as a humanitarian, advanced cancer advocate and author reached far and wide, and was displayed in the diverse crowd dressed in bright hues at Campbell’s request.
Before the memorial service, people gave each other long hugs with back rubs. A woman stood comforting her baby, which gave a powerful reminder how life can begin where it ends. Campbell’s husband, Andrew, stood in the foyer for a moment, as loved ones embraced him fiercely, almost helping him stand when waves of sadness came over him.
In many ways, Campbell’s memorial service was her long goodbye. Many of the songs and memorial decisions were selected by her.
The Rev. Dr. Carl Gregg invited the audience to center themselves with a calming prelude recording. The song transitioned to an opening welcome by Gregg and another song by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole that may have contained a message of comfort by Campbell. The line, “Somewhere over the rainbow is where you find me,” felt appropriate for a woman who reached the end of a painful journey. The playful ukulele music lifted some of the heaviness of the event, but many still dabbed their eyes with tissues during the song.
Donna Siegmund, Campbell’s mother, later spoke on her daughter’s life from a vantage point only a mom could have. Campbell was born three weeks late and required 56 hours of labor before a C-section. Siegmund, expecting her baby to have a misshapen head or any other unformed characteristic, was surprised that Campbell was “breathtakingly beautiful” with piercing blue eyes. As a baby, Campbell never slept, which concerned Siegmund. She called the doctor, and was informed that many babies who don’t sleep much are usually intelligent. Siegmund’s response, “Why couldn’t I have a stupid baby like everyone else?” brought laughter from the crowd. Siegmund described Campbell as being “bright, beautiful and articulate to the end of her life.”
This was a reoccurring theme throughout the memorial service, that “Katie was going to save the world.” As a child, Campbell tried to sell all of her belongings after an African mission trip to raise money for the less fortunate. When she was the editor of her high school paper, Campbell wrote a “sternly worded” letter to a rival school principal inspired by her passion to fight against racism and injustice. Campbell witnessed students chanting “We have futures” while Campbell’s ethnically diverse, lower-income high school was winning a basketball game. After that letter, the principal cancelled all pep rallies for the rest of the year. Campbell found out in college that she made enemies because of that act, but by that time, she was on her way to international human rights work in the relationships she built at an orphanage in Malawi. She was able to find joy in the lowest places, such as a Peace Corps teacher, where she got disadvantaged young men to let down their guard enough to hula hoop during lunch.
Campbell’s father, Gus Siegmund, highlighted his daughter’s humanitarian impact and the wisdom of her book, “The Courage Club: A Radical Guide to Audaciously Living Beyond Cancer.” He read the last three paragraphs of Campbell’s book, until he reached the line, “I decided to live it.” Siegmund rested his head and wept on the lectern until his son, Andy Siegmund, came to embrace him. Though Gus Siegmund previously said in a low, quiet rumble that “she could not have done more to prepare us for her passing,” the pain of loss remained.
Her husband, Andrew, closed the eulogies with a raw account of his wife that showed how human this champion for justice was. Campbell “held herself to a high standard,” whether that was her career, her dreams for motherhood or the strict diet and pill regiment she adhered to during cancer treatment.
This was apparent when they both worked at the same orphanage in Malawi. Andrew confessed, “I went and drank vodka with the guys at the orphanage and Katie was out changing the world.” Andrew reflected on a time when he said in tears, “I just want you to eat mac and cheese!” because Campbell’s discipline made her avoid simple pleasures during cancer treatment.
There was real tension in what Andrew explained as “Katie running ahead” in expressing love while he felt behind. “Katie dove in and it scared the s— out of me sometimes. It’s a Unitarian Church, you can say whatever you want.” The audience laughed before Andrew shared how Campbell’s three-year long cancer battle affected their marriage.
“Cancer felt like one devastation after another. Getting beat down over and over and over. Katie felt like she was losing pieces of herself. Had a lot of breakdowns. That was brutal for me.” There was a moment when Campbell rocked back and forth on the couch saying over and over again, “I can’t do this anymore.” In that pain, Campbell found her voice as an advocate for young adults living with cancer.
The couple also found new intimacy when Campbell’s prognosis became less hopeful. “That was our snuggle period.” Andrew used a term to describe the feeling of embracing a spouse you know you will lose. That word is heartful. “Heart being full of love for one another. It doesn’t matter what happens because we are here with each other right now.”
The last weeks of Campbell’s life included a trip to Colorado to attend a wedding and receive treatment. Campbell’s lungs were weakening, and the dry cough she had during her June interview gave way to the need for an oxygen tank. Andrew felt dread that the end was coming, but there was still some sweet moments left. Campbell, who felt bad for having an emergency room trip, told her husband, sorry. “You have to come up with a new term, you can’t say sorry. You have to say ‘fart noise.’ The nurses think we are crazy.” Andrew laughed. “When we were together in the hospital that fullness was there.” Andrew said all this before Campbell’s candle was extinguished during “Home Again” by Michael Kiwanuka. “When she died, I held her, my heart was full. This heartfulness that she taught me. She is there with you also. She is with us.” "
January 31, 2018
This was such an emotional read for me, seeing that I "knew" Katie from her online presence in the aya community, especially First Descents. I've followed her grassroots fundraising campaign to get her story published, cheered her on, shared updates, etc.
I got the e-book right after it got published, but couldn't read it right away. First, I had personal health challenges, then Katie passed, and it just wasn't the right time.
Last week, I saw it on my Kindle, and started reading. It's a quick read that ends much too soon, but has a lot of Katie in it, things she learned along the way, and that made me smile and shake my head at times. Man, I can relate to so much of what she's writing, maybe everyone can, who is going through/has been through challenging circumstances, especially when it comes to vulnerability, trauma, a lack of self-worth, and overthinking literally everything. Oh, and the "No pain, no gain" approach to exercising... yep, that was totally me not too long ago. I do appreciate Katie's responses to those challenges, and some things are very much in line with what works for me, too, and it's comforting to know that Katie's story will definitely help me (and many others) time and time again. A life cut short by cancer, but a story and a soul that will keep shining.
I got the e-book right after it got published, but couldn't read it right away. First, I had personal health challenges, then Katie passed, and it just wasn't the right time.
Last week, I saw it on my Kindle, and started reading. It's a quick read that ends much too soon, but has a lot of Katie in it, things she learned along the way, and that made me smile and shake my head at times. Man, I can relate to so much of what she's writing, maybe everyone can, who is going through/has been through challenging circumstances, especially when it comes to vulnerability, trauma, a lack of self-worth, and overthinking literally everything. Oh, and the "No pain, no gain" approach to exercising... yep, that was totally me not too long ago. I do appreciate Katie's responses to those challenges, and some things are very much in line with what works for me, too, and it's comforting to know that Katie's story will definitely help me (and many others) time and time again. A life cut short by cancer, but a story and a soul that will keep shining.
October 31, 2022
I had the tremendous privilege of knowing the remarkable Katie Campbell, meeting her as we went through chemo and radiation together in 2013 and 2014 during our breast cancer diagnoses. Katie's guide to living a courageous and heartfelt living, even in the midst of crisis, offers simple but effective ways to navigate any of life's challenges. From ways to leverage social support networks to healthy eating and exercise throughout taxing and grueling treatment, Katie illuminates the important lessons cancer patients are forced to learn along the way. Each chapter is dedicated to one of several rules Katie created for inclusion into a much happier and more meaningful state of living which she called, "The Courage Club." No matter what you might be struggling with in life, Katie's lessons and the powerful example of her life of resilience, compassion, and giving back will inspire any reader. I miss Katie more than words can convey, and feel lucky to have known her during this lifetime.
December 31, 2017
Conversational writing style takes you into the book. Starting with her story of cancer it allows you to better understand the subsequent messages she imparts.
This is a fairly quick and easy book to read. Obviously written from the heart and filled with some pretty great advice on many levels.
This is a fairly quick and easy book to read. Obviously written from the heart and filled with some pretty great advice on many levels.
July 23, 2016
This book was a tough one. I can appreciate the cancer struggle and empathize with the writer as I have been a caregiver for both of my parents at some point. One that lost their life and the other that has battled two different types of cancer and is a survivor. The part that I had difficulty with was the information on Graves Disease. I had this myself 20 years ago. I found the information to be completely inaccurate. I have known many people that have gone through this experience and none have ever described it in this manner. It is not a debilitating disease and is easily cured with medication and or surgery. I found myself cringing every time it was mentioned.
August 13, 2016
I'm Keeping This One
Courage is rooted in love. Literally. At the end of her generous and inspiring memoir, Campbell mentions that our English word 'courage' comes from the Latin root word 'cor', which means 'heart'. We fight most fiercely for what our hearts love, and Campbell's message is about channeling the power of love in the valiant fight to live fully amid all circumstances. Whether facing physical or emotional peril, her guidance has great value. Everyone should read her book since this world never tires of throwing gauntlets at our feet!
Courage is rooted in love. Literally. At the end of her generous and inspiring memoir, Campbell mentions that our English word 'courage' comes from the Latin root word 'cor', which means 'heart'. We fight most fiercely for what our hearts love, and Campbell's message is about channeling the power of love in the valiant fight to live fully amid all circumstances. Whether facing physical or emotional peril, her guidance has great value. Everyone should read her book since this world never tires of throwing gauntlets at our feet!
October 13, 2016
This isn't a book about cancer, it's a book about life. The challenges we all face along the way and the possibilities of a more enriching, meaningful life because of and in spite of those challenges. Highly recommended to any and all who seek an honest but positive perspective on life's bumps in the road.
November 28, 2016
Well written
For anyone dealing with cancer, this book will make your journey better paved. She hit on something that my sister in law also said. You know your body and so when you know something is wrong and the doctor says it's all in your head, you question your insanity. Keep looking until you find a doctor who will listen.
For anyone dealing with cancer, this book will make your journey better paved. She hit on something that my sister in law also said. You know your body and so when you know something is wrong and the doctor says it's all in your head, you question your insanity. Keep looking until you find a doctor who will listen.
July 14, 2016
Inspiring!
Katie is a wonderful writer who has chosen strength, love, humor, and yes- courage- in the face of unthinkable challenges. This book is an inspiring lesson in how to live.
Katie is a wonderful writer who has chosen strength, love, humor, and yes- courage- in the face of unthinkable challenges. This book is an inspiring lesson in how to live.
September 14, 2016
I had the honor of knowing Katie and her words in this book are a timeless reminder to everyone about what is really important in life. Beautifully and honestly written, I can see myself reading this one again and again.
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December 18, 2016Beautiful, brave and wonderful. Taking away the wisdom that my self-worth can't hinge on a future, hypothetical version of myself. I am enough right now. Thank you Katie!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews