What do you think?
Rate this book
Man with a Backpack: One Regular Guy's Fight Against Stomach Cancer
Man with a One Regular Guy's Fight Against Stomach Cancer is a raw, emotional roller coaster about a man and his aggressive form of stomach cancer. The book walks through the struggle, shock, and heartbreak surrounding his losing battle, while weaving examples of historical figures and events that bring a new perspective and enlightened reality. Along the way he realizes he has visionary, spiritual guide carrying a backpack, showing the weight he had been carrying all along and for so many. Touching and gut-wrenching, Man with a Backpack shows how one amazing man's life ended too soon, forcing him to leave behind his wife and two young children.
139 pages, Hardcover
Published October 4, 2016
3 people are currently reading
1163 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 14, 2017
Rob somehow managed to tell his story when he was in the midst of his unrelenting battle with stomach cancer. His medical procedures and setbacks were heart-wrenching to read. I absolutely can't fathom how he found the strength to get up in the morning and face each new day. With candor, he told us when he sniped at his kids, lost his patience with his friends, or couldn't get off the sofa. He never spoke in platitudes or tried to make us believe that God only gives you what you can handle. He had to deal with more than he could handle. The pain of leaving behind a beloved wife and two children was horrendous. I can see why he was aggravated with some of the well-meaning yet callous comments made by friends. No, this wasn't a "bump in the road"; this was hell. All the horrible drug ads on TV (WHY do we allow this?) show us that there are wonderdrugs to cure virtually anything. People are throwing footballs to their grandkids after a few doses of a new, cutely-named drug. Our society's attempts to romanticize cancer must be nauseating to those in the trenches. His loving, supportive wife finished the book for him after his death.
Rob Lukens was the Director of the Chester County Historical Society in West Chester, my home town. Last fall, there was a well attended book signing in their main hall. I was very touched when I heard his beautiful wife Rebecca talk about his life. I bought the book that night but it took me awhile to pick it up as I knew it would be emotionally tough to read. I'm glad I did. His many contributions to the town I love have left a lasting impact.
Rob Lukens was the Director of the Chester County Historical Society in West Chester, my home town. Last fall, there was a well attended book signing in their main hall. I was very touched when I heard his beautiful wife Rebecca talk about his life. I bought the book that night but it took me awhile to pick it up as I knew it would be emotionally tough to read. I'm glad I did. His many contributions to the town I love have left a lasting impact.
November 21, 2016
Man with a Backpack is Rob Lukens' unflinching examination of his own life after learning he has stomach cancer.
Rob was living the American Dream, married with two kids, and running the Chester County Historical Society in the "perfect town" of West Chester, PA. He writes about how the diagnosis abruptly changed his world, and how he researched stomach cancer survival rates and tried to contact family members of stomach cancer victims for advice. Rob spent the next two years undergoing surgery, chemo and radiation until he passed away in August, 2015.
Throughout his harrowing treatment, Rob wrote candidly about his rage, his concerns for his family in a "post-Rob world," his loss of weight and strength, his eventual addiction to prescription drugs, and the sometimes inappropriate responses of healthcare professionals, family and friends. Rob also lamented the "positive cancer movement;" specifically the ads which gloss over the horror of the disease and create a sense of false hope.
Man with a Backpack is powerful because Rob wrote it while in the trenches. He gave us his unvarnished view from the front lines, while wrestling with his own mortality, and it's a devastating sight.
Rob was living the American Dream, married with two kids, and running the Chester County Historical Society in the "perfect town" of West Chester, PA. He writes about how the diagnosis abruptly changed his world, and how he researched stomach cancer survival rates and tried to contact family members of stomach cancer victims for advice. Rob spent the next two years undergoing surgery, chemo and radiation until he passed away in August, 2015.
Throughout his harrowing treatment, Rob wrote candidly about his rage, his concerns for his family in a "post-Rob world," his loss of weight and strength, his eventual addiction to prescription drugs, and the sometimes inappropriate responses of healthcare professionals, family and friends. Rob also lamented the "positive cancer movement;" specifically the ads which gloss over the horror of the disease and create a sense of false hope.
Man with a Backpack is powerful because Rob wrote it while in the trenches. He gave us his unvarnished view from the front lines, while wrestling with his own mortality, and it's a devastating sight.
November 5, 2022
What a touching narrative. This book talks about Rob’s diagnosis of stomach cancer. He is brutally honest about his feelings and his struggles fighting the disease.
Once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down. I read the book in one day.
Once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down. I read the book in one day.
April 2, 2024
Heart wrenching account of a man’s struggle with this horrible disease.
November 3, 2022
This story is full of painful truths and it hit me close to home. I appreciate how it was written and just how honest Rob was when he wrote this. I think that this was an amazing read and hope that more people are able to get a chance to read this.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews