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The Cancer Whisperer: Finding Courage, Direction, and the Unlikely Gifts of Cancer
Not yet published
Expected 31 Dec 35The self-published sensation and UK bestseller that has helped thousands touched by cancer.
“I have cancer. Cancer does not have me.”
Sophie Sabbage was forty-eight years old, happily married, and mother to a four-year-old daughter when she was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer. Since that shocking diagnosis, she has been on a remarkable journey of healing and renewal that has reshaped her life—for the better.
The Cancer Whisperer chronicles Sophie’s extraordinary relationship with cancer and the very effective methods she has used for dealing with her fear, anger, denial, and grief. The Brené Brown of cancer, Sophie empowers readers to reject the traditional adversarial relationship with cancer by teaching us how to listen to it; how to be healed by it as well as how to seek to cure it; and how to be emotionally free even when we are physically curtailed.
Beautifully and poignantly written , The Cancer Whisperer encourages cancer patients
• Direct their own treatment while preserving their personhood in a system that tends to see them as patients more than people.
• Engage with fear, anger, and grief in healthy and healing ways instead of toughing it out, trying to be falsely positive, or collapsing into despair.
• Radically shift from being a cancer victim to a cancer listener—fostering an understanding of cancer as a symptom of other underlying causes and engaging with whatever changes it calls on them to make.
As authentic as it is revolutionary, The Cancer Whisperer calls for an end to “the war on cancer” and the start of a more transformative dialogue with the disease.
“I have cancer. Cancer does not have me.”
Sophie Sabbage was forty-eight years old, happily married, and mother to a four-year-old daughter when she was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer. Since that shocking diagnosis, she has been on a remarkable journey of healing and renewal that has reshaped her life—for the better.
The Cancer Whisperer chronicles Sophie’s extraordinary relationship with cancer and the very effective methods she has used for dealing with her fear, anger, denial, and grief. The Brené Brown of cancer, Sophie empowers readers to reject the traditional adversarial relationship with cancer by teaching us how to listen to it; how to be healed by it as well as how to seek to cure it; and how to be emotionally free even when we are physically curtailed.
Beautifully and poignantly written , The Cancer Whisperer encourages cancer patients
• Direct their own treatment while preserving their personhood in a system that tends to see them as patients more than people.
• Engage with fear, anger, and grief in healthy and healing ways instead of toughing it out, trying to be falsely positive, or collapsing into despair.
• Radically shift from being a cancer victim to a cancer listener—fostering an understanding of cancer as a symptom of other underlying causes and engaging with whatever changes it calls on them to make.
As authentic as it is revolutionary, The Cancer Whisperer calls for an end to “the war on cancer” and the start of a more transformative dialogue with the disease.
- GenresNonfiction
224 pages, Paperback
Expected publication December 31, 2035
21 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 3, 2019
I see that I am going to be the sole dissenting voice here. Okay. Someone needs to do it.
Let me start with the good:
“‘You’re not going to die,’ our friends and families reassure us. ‘Don’t even think about that. You must fight this thing.’ But dying is not giving in. It is dying. And facing the prospect of dying is not giving in either. It is merely opening to the truth of our nature and the one conclusion we can all ultimately count on as surely as we can count on the sun setting in the evening and the leaves falling when summer moves to the opposite hemisphere. It is the FIRST thing to come to terms with when you are diagnosed with cancer, not the last. If you don’t, it is always going to be the fear lurking in the shadows, waiting to creep up on you when you go for your next scan or round of chemo.”
A big amen to that. And also to the idea that when you have cancer, you live more intensively, and are put “on notice.” I agree with that, and yet I’d forgo that lesson in a heartbeat to be cancer free. You will NOT find me writing a letter of gratitude to my cancer, as Sabbage suggests. Prior to my diagnosis I was already living a life I was happy with. I was already mindful of everything I had good in my life, I was already engage in a helping career, I was already putting my free time toward travel and gardening and cooking, and I was already eating a diet of foods that were nourishing. I did not need cancer to teach me all that.
But that’s not why I gave this book one star. Even though I agree that it is important that cancer patient take charge of their own treatment, that doesn’t mean you need to abandon reason. So many of the treatments she pursued and recommends are utter bullshit. Laetrile, colonic irrigations, coffee enemas, detoxing foot soaks, EMR blockers.. the list goes on. And it’s a list of such bad science that it makes my head hurt.
Even when Sabbage is not specifically recommending a treatment, the book is riddled with silliness. One, in particular, I found a little galling. It was the idea that in conventional treatment centers, everything is gloom and doom and patients are woodenly following the protocols while people in alternative treatment centers are full of life and curiosity and joy. The dreadful atmosphere in conventional medicine is so strong, to her way of thinking, that she felt compelled to “fill my pockets with protective crystals so it doesn’t permeate my body too.” Well, I hope that helped. But in my experience in conventional treatment, I have met many, many patients who are curious about their disease and the treatment options, and very much focused on life NOW. It’s a community of extremely warm, supportive, vital people. Those qualities are not something that alternative medicine groupies have a monopoly on.
Look, if she wants to use the reactions of horses to let her know when her cancer is more active and go to Mexico to spend absurd amounts of money pursuing unsubstantiated treatments, that’s her choice. But suggesting that things like “neglecting my grief for so many years” contributed to the development of cancer is both wrong-headed and cruel. Equally cruel, is suggesting that alternative treatments are the better path when you have zero evidence that that is true. I find myself hating the fact that my public library has a copy of this book on their shelves.
Let me start with the good:
“‘You’re not going to die,’ our friends and families reassure us. ‘Don’t even think about that. You must fight this thing.’ But dying is not giving in. It is dying. And facing the prospect of dying is not giving in either. It is merely opening to the truth of our nature and the one conclusion we can all ultimately count on as surely as we can count on the sun setting in the evening and the leaves falling when summer moves to the opposite hemisphere. It is the FIRST thing to come to terms with when you are diagnosed with cancer, not the last. If you don’t, it is always going to be the fear lurking in the shadows, waiting to creep up on you when you go for your next scan or round of chemo.”
A big amen to that. And also to the idea that when you have cancer, you live more intensively, and are put “on notice.” I agree with that, and yet I’d forgo that lesson in a heartbeat to be cancer free. You will NOT find me writing a letter of gratitude to my cancer, as Sabbage suggests. Prior to my diagnosis I was already living a life I was happy with. I was already mindful of everything I had good in my life, I was already engage in a helping career, I was already putting my free time toward travel and gardening and cooking, and I was already eating a diet of foods that were nourishing. I did not need cancer to teach me all that.
But that’s not why I gave this book one star. Even though I agree that it is important that cancer patient take charge of their own treatment, that doesn’t mean you need to abandon reason. So many of the treatments she pursued and recommends are utter bullshit. Laetrile, colonic irrigations, coffee enemas, detoxing foot soaks, EMR blockers.. the list goes on. And it’s a list of such bad science that it makes my head hurt.
Even when Sabbage is not specifically recommending a treatment, the book is riddled with silliness. One, in particular, I found a little galling. It was the idea that in conventional treatment centers, everything is gloom and doom and patients are woodenly following the protocols while people in alternative treatment centers are full of life and curiosity and joy. The dreadful atmosphere in conventional medicine is so strong, to her way of thinking, that she felt compelled to “fill my pockets with protective crystals so it doesn’t permeate my body too.” Well, I hope that helped. But in my experience in conventional treatment, I have met many, many patients who are curious about their disease and the treatment options, and very much focused on life NOW. It’s a community of extremely warm, supportive, vital people. Those qualities are not something that alternative medicine groupies have a monopoly on.
Look, if she wants to use the reactions of horses to let her know when her cancer is more active and go to Mexico to spend absurd amounts of money pursuing unsubstantiated treatments, that’s her choice. But suggesting that things like “neglecting my grief for so many years” contributed to the development of cancer is both wrong-headed and cruel. Equally cruel, is suggesting that alternative treatments are the better path when you have zero evidence that that is true. I find myself hating the fact that my public library has a copy of this book on their shelves.
November 7, 2021
"Cancer is a call to consciousness. I don't see cancer as an enemy to fight. I see it as a huge wake-up call that deserves my full attention and respect ... What if cancer is the body's last attempt to save its own life? Cancer became my teacher, not my enemy. Cancer is a healing crisis." Sophie Sabbage has had an intimate and highly successful relationship with cancer for some 8 years. I read her book straight in two sittings. She documents her journey with clarity and honesty. She used "integrative treatments," both orthodox medical and unorthodox alternative. Cancer Whispering is "tuning into the language of our illness and translating the messages" for healing mind, body, and soul. I expect her strategies (including psychological, emotional, spiritual) can be effective for any illness, not just life threatening diseases. Brava to an extraordinary woman! This book has the ability to change how we not only think about cancer but also how we can individually "find the light in the darkness." I loved this book. Sophie leaves us with "I have cancer. It does not have me." Paula Cappa is an avid book reviewer and author of mystery novels.
October 31, 2019
(Review first published in Shelf Awareness).
In 2014, Sophie Sabbage learned she had incurable lung cancer. Doctors consigned her to a likely death and said that her remaining time must revolve around treatments to extend her life and reduce her suffering. But when Sabbage learned more about treatments for terminal cancer--how all-consuming and painful they would be, and how they would rule her remaining time--she decided to make living meaningfully her priority over treatment. This involved creating resources for herself that would support her physical, spiritual and mental wellbeing. At the core was how she could retain her personhood, something she felt that medical treatments had stripped from her--the difference between being a patient and being a person. In writing The Cancer Whisperer, Sabbage aims to reach people diagnosed with cancer who want to be treated as "dignified, empowered human being[s]."
Sabbage divides her book into nine sections, with topics that include dealing with the shock that accompanies a diagnosis; how to ask self-reflective questions for living with cancer; how to deal with the numerous suggested diets; and figuring out ways to stabilize one's body following aggressive treatments. Sabbage approaches the topic with a firm resolve to empower readers in establishing their own purpose and autonomy. She combats the idea that surviving cancer is the cornerstone of success, and argues that preserving personhood throughout one's life is more important. In this way, her goal is not to outrun her prognosis but rather continue to live consciously. The Cancer Whisperer does not purport to offer magical cures or miraculous recoveries; instead, it delivers to readers a greater gift, one of transformation.
In 2014, Sophie Sabbage learned she had incurable lung cancer. Doctors consigned her to a likely death and said that her remaining time must revolve around treatments to extend her life and reduce her suffering. But when Sabbage learned more about treatments for terminal cancer--how all-consuming and painful they would be, and how they would rule her remaining time--she decided to make living meaningfully her priority over treatment. This involved creating resources for herself that would support her physical, spiritual and mental wellbeing. At the core was how she could retain her personhood, something she felt that medical treatments had stripped from her--the difference between being a patient and being a person. In writing The Cancer Whisperer, Sabbage aims to reach people diagnosed with cancer who want to be treated as "dignified, empowered human being[s]."
Sabbage divides her book into nine sections, with topics that include dealing with the shock that accompanies a diagnosis; how to ask self-reflective questions for living with cancer; how to deal with the numerous suggested diets; and figuring out ways to stabilize one's body following aggressive treatments. Sabbage approaches the topic with a firm resolve to empower readers in establishing their own purpose and autonomy. She combats the idea that surviving cancer is the cornerstone of success, and argues that preserving personhood throughout one's life is more important. In this way, her goal is not to outrun her prognosis but rather continue to live consciously. The Cancer Whisperer does not purport to offer magical cures or miraculous recoveries; instead, it delivers to readers a greater gift, one of transformation.
February 7, 2021
A gal with terminal cancer tells her story; how she has greatly outlived the medical world's predictions for her life expectancy. I may not agree with all of the (experimental) healing therapies she sought but I do not judge her. She advocates taking cancer off the battle field and into the classroom, and I like that. Instead of cloaking cancer in war-like terms, pay attention to what cancer is telling us about how to heal our bodies. She quotes Victor Frankl, "We cannot avoid suffering but we can choose to find meaning in it and move forward with renewed purpose."
Sabbage shares her strategies with treatments and diet changes but she is careful not to suggest that it is the only right way. Instead she encourages people to do research and become informed on the possibilities. Do not be a passive uninformed patient.
I found this part memoir, part self-help book interesting and worth borrowing from the library.
Sabbage shares her strategies with treatments and diet changes but she is careful not to suggest that it is the only right way. Instead she encourages people to do research and become informed on the possibilities. Do not be a passive uninformed patient.
I found this part memoir, part self-help book interesting and worth borrowing from the library.
March 31, 2021
Only the audio book was available from the library and it was such a gift. Listening to the author was so lovely it was almost like poetry. I bought the print edition and may go back to buy the audio. Getting a diagnosis is a huge life shock. I especially liked chapter 8 on dealing with the grief of it all. I’m in the club now but looking for the silver linings. Plan to reread again and pass along to others.
February 20, 2019
Amazing! I was finishing chemo treatments and am now preparing for the scans to see how well chemo worked and planning my surgery then radiation when I found this book! Just what I needed at this moment. So supportive in exploring ways I need to let go of things keeping me from my authentic life. Highly recommended not just for my cancer tribe but anyone yearning for their own authentic life.
March 5, 2025
just amazing, what a gift
Any cancer patient or relative, please read! Could not stop myself. Very well written with an incredible message and much truth! What courage! Thank you!
Any cancer patient or relative, please read! Could not stop myself. Very well written with an incredible message and much truth! What courage! Thank you!
February 21, 2017
I won The Cancer Whisperer in a goodreads giveaway. My husband was diagnosed with cancer and I wanted to read this book for some prospective. I found Page 94 thru 96 particualy good. Detox your Environment and Detox your Body. If you or someone you love is dealing with cancer I would recommend this book.
March 26, 2017
Informative and good
April 5, 2017
Very emotional book for me.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews