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Kimiko Does Cancer: A Graphic Memoir
At the age of twenty-five, Kimiko Tobimatsu was a young, queer, mixed-race woman with no history of health problems whose world was turned upside down when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. In an instant, she became immersed in a new and complicated life of endless appointments, evaluations, and treatments, and difficult conversations with her partner and parents. Kimiko knew that this wasn’t what being twenty-five was supposed to be like … but then, she didn’t have a choice.
With tender illustrations by Keet Geniza, Kimiko Does Cancer is a graphic memoir that upends the traditional “cancer narrative” from a young woman’s perspective, confronting issues such as dating while in menopause, navigating work and treatment, and talking to well-meaning friends, health care professionals, and other cancer survivors with viewpoints different from her own. Not one for pink ribbons or runs for the cure, Kimiko seeks connection within the cancer community while also critiquing the mainstream cancer experience.
Honest and poignant, Kimiko Does Cancer is about finding one’s own way out of a health crisis.
With tender illustrations by Keet Geniza, Kimiko Does Cancer is a graphic memoir that upends the traditional “cancer narrative” from a young woman’s perspective, confronting issues such as dating while in menopause, navigating work and treatment, and talking to well-meaning friends, health care professionals, and other cancer survivors with viewpoints different from her own. Not one for pink ribbons or runs for the cure, Kimiko seeks connection within the cancer community while also critiquing the mainstream cancer experience.
Honest and poignant, Kimiko Does Cancer is about finding one’s own way out of a health crisis.
96 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2020
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681 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
May 7, 2024
Concise and thoughtful graphic memoir by a queer biracial woman who’s diagnosed with breast cancer at age 25. I appreciated Kimiko Tobimatsu’s honesty in this memoir, writing about meaningful and important topics such as not forcing people to think about the positive and instead giving them space to honor their sadness, how cancer recovery narratives often center white straight people, and how physical, mental, and relational health intersect with one another. The combination of illustrations and her narrative helped provide a sense of realness to how Tobimatsu coped with her illness in her day-to-day life. I hope this book will augment the empathy people have for those struggling with cancer and related conditions, especially people who aren’t often highlighted in these narratives.
The concision of this graphic novel was an interesting strength and maybe drawback? I wanted a little more self-reflection about, for example, the role of race or being mixed race and how that affected Tobimatsu’s experience. Especially how racial dynamics intersected with gender dynamics within her family to influence communication. However, I recognize she may have wanted to keep it short and sweet on purpose. I’m curious what my Philly book club will think of this one.
The concision of this graphic novel was an interesting strength and maybe drawback? I wanted a little more self-reflection about, for example, the role of race or being mixed race and how that affected Tobimatsu’s experience. Especially how racial dynamics intersected with gender dynamics within her family to influence communication. However, I recognize she may have wanted to keep it short and sweet on purpose. I’m curious what my Philly book club will think of this one.
September 7, 2022
A straightforward and earnest memoir; a young person discovers a lump and must navigate the maze of medical system, specialists, a cancer diagnosis and treatment, and then learn to live with post-cancer realities which include hot flashes from the medically-induced menopause (to prevent cancer from reoccurring).
Deceptively simple presentation, but Tobimatsu covers a lot of territory and complications, including what to tell friends, how to ask for help, navigating competing demands for time and energy, cancer support groups that feel alienating, confronting fertility issues when you haven't even thought much about wanting kids, well-meaning but annoying relatives, and much more. There are many different aspects here to think about, and sit with. (Full disclosure: both my parents had breast cancer, so I grew up living in the midst of it, with all its spoken and unspoken manifestations).
4.5 stars rounded up, because if you get cancer when you are 25 years old, and then write a book about it while practicing law, you deserve all the stars!
Deceptively simple presentation, but Tobimatsu covers a lot of territory and complications, including what to tell friends, how to ask for help, navigating competing demands for time and energy, cancer support groups that feel alienating, confronting fertility issues when you haven't even thought much about wanting kids, well-meaning but annoying relatives, and much more. There are many different aspects here to think about, and sit with. (Full disclosure: both my parents had breast cancer, so I grew up living in the midst of it, with all its spoken and unspoken manifestations).
4.5 stars rounded up, because if you get cancer when you are 25 years old, and then write a book about it while practicing law, you deserve all the stars!
September 16, 2020
Kimiko Does Cancer is about about a queer, mixed-race woman getting breast cancer. This is a short book, only 106 pages, and it moves quickly: the first page is about Kimiko finding a lump above her breast, and then it moves through her diagnosis, treatment, and the aftermath. Tobimatsu explains in interviews/articles that she wanted to write this book because the mainstream narrative around cancer didn’t include her experience. She wanted other queer people with cancer to have a reference that better reflects their lives.
For one thing, she comes into this experience already skeptical of doctors, especially around sexual health. One panel shows a doctor saying, “Only women who sleep with men need Paps,” (labelled on page as “Bad medical advice”). This is something that I was also told by a doctor, after she blushed and seemed flustered when I told her my sexual experience was with AFAB people. Although she’s grateful for her medical team, she also finds it overwhelming, especially when they give different advice. She also continues to face similar microagressions: a doctor who assumes she’ll immediately want reconstructive surgery on her breast before asking her–Kimiko had been interested in exploring what a mastectomy would mean for her exploration of gender. Later, another doctor asks if she’d like both breasts enhanced as long as they’re “plumping” one.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
For one thing, she comes into this experience already skeptical of doctors, especially around sexual health. One panel shows a doctor saying, “Only women who sleep with men need Paps,” (labelled on page as “Bad medical advice”). This is something that I was also told by a doctor, after she blushed and seemed flustered when I told her my sexual experience was with AFAB people. Although she’s grateful for her medical team, she also finds it overwhelming, especially when they give different advice. She also continues to face similar microagressions: a doctor who assumes she’ll immediately want reconstructive surgery on her breast before asking her–Kimiko had been interested in exploring what a mastectomy would mean for her exploration of gender. Later, another doctor asks if she’d like both breasts enhanced as long as they’re “plumping” one.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
October 25, 2020
This autobiographical book about breast cancer is a bit muted, but that is consistent with Kimiko Tobimatsu's personality as presented in the book. She offers a pretty straightforward look at events, but through the unique and interesting perspective of a 25-year-old queer Asian Canadian woman. Keet Geniza's art serves the tale well.
January 10, 2022
As a breast cancer survivor, I loved the candidness of this graphic novel.
Kimiko is diagnosed at twenty-five. Her concerns are not identical to mine, but for sure the emotions surrounding diagnosis and the long-term effects following cancer treatment are real. I understand completely the idea of over sharing, of feeling as if you shouldn’t complain about the after effects of chemo (or radiation, ongoing immunotherapy, etc.), but the concerns are background music.
I feel as if this skims the surface, but I connected with her emotions in a way that perhaps only someone that has experienced this journey can understand.
Kimiko is diagnosed at twenty-five. Her concerns are not identical to mine, but for sure the emotions surrounding diagnosis and the long-term effects following cancer treatment are real. I understand completely the idea of over sharing, of feeling as if you shouldn’t complain about the after effects of chemo (or radiation, ongoing immunotherapy, etc.), but the concerns are background music.
I feel as if this skims the surface, but I connected with her emotions in a way that perhaps only someone that has experienced this journey can understand.
July 3, 2020
I rec'd an ARC on Edelweiss. This book really hit close to home. If really mirrored so much of my own cancer journey right down to her struggles with hot flash due to medication we both have to take for a very long time now that we've had breast cancer. This is just a great graphic memoir, but also a good read for those who know someone young going through cancer, as it might give some insight as to how things are for them. Of course every experience is different, but this person and I experienced deeply similar feelings during and now after our cancer was removed.
August 1, 2021
Loved this for her critique of toxic positivity (also called "bright-siding") and her reflections on cancer as a chronic illness-- she has to take preventative medication which makes her menopausal and fatigued. The art is also wonderful. Super appreciated a book like this from a queer person of color.
The part about trying to explain a chronic illness situation to new people: extremely relatable.
The part about trying to explain a chronic illness situation to new people: extremely relatable.
December 8, 2021
Memoirs are hard for me to rate. Cancer memoirs doubly so.
The author is queer, mixed race, and at 25 is diagnosed with breast cancer. This graphic memoir is a straighforward telling of what happens next. I appreciated the honesty of the telling. How do you tell people about your diganosis? What do you want from them? What does it mean for a young woman when treatment to save her life induces menoapuse? Lots of important topics are explored in this short book.
The author is queer, mixed race, and at 25 is diagnosed with breast cancer. This graphic memoir is a straighforward telling of what happens next. I appreciated the honesty of the telling. How do you tell people about your diganosis? What do you want from them? What does it mean for a young woman when treatment to save her life induces menoapuse? Lots of important topics are explored in this short book.
July 27, 2024
4.5/5 - A powerful and intimate look at the author's illness. I especially loved the epilogue and the conversation on defining long term health effects post-cancer. I wish there was a bit more about Tobimatsu's relationships with her family (especially her siblings), but overall this journey was well told and beautifully illustrated.
May 24, 2024
This graphic memoir was different than I expected it to be. It was less about Kimiko's cancer itself, and more about everything around her cancer: what it felt like to get the diagnosis, the dizzying procession of doctors and procedures, the lifelong after-effects of being a survivor, the effect on relationships and career. I really appreciated reading Kimiko's candid and unsentimental take on this experience. Quite a few aspects were very relatable to me, as a 31-year-old recently diagnosed with a terminal illness. (Even down to a supportive mom who tags along to every appointment, researches clinical trials, and cries at the hair-dressers.) I especially connected with Kimiko's resistance to toxic positivity and platitudes—like Kimiko, getting diagnosed didn't make me "realize what's really important in life." I think this could be a combination of being queer (having already come to terms with the fact that my life won't fit the cisheteronormative model) and a millennial (disillusioned with capitalist society and plagued by climate change). Additionally, Kimiko is mixed-race and masculine presenting, and I'm fat, all of which present their own complications when navigating medical spaces. I'm glad I picked this up.
TW: cancer, hospitals and medical procedures, nudity, fertility discussions
TW: cancer, hospitals and medical procedures, nudity, fertility discussions
August 4, 2021
I really liked this book, and I have never read anything quite like it: a graphic memoir about a twenty five year-old, queer, mixed-race woman dealing with cancer. It provides such a unique perspective and experience, revealing the intersectionality between disease, race, and gender. She questions the accepted "cancer narrative," and reveals so many emotions and vulnerabilities that arise throughout the process. The story really captures the psychological conflict between what you feel and what you think you should feel, as well as the weight of expectations from friends, family, and the society in which you live. That she's able to dovetail this with an existentialist, absurdist humour throughout livens the book even more. Oh, and let's not forget the illustrations, which are so on point.
December 20, 2021
Excellent breast cancer memoir by a young, queer, mixed-race woman. Both the writing and art are quiet and reflective, and it’s stuck with me for quite a while after I finished it. Show up for the excellent personal memoir, stay for the thoughtful analysis and critique of various aspects of cancer care.
August 23, 2021
Having cancer did change Kimiko Tobimatsu's life, but not in the way that it does for a lot of other people. While she was grateful to be alive after her cancer diagnosis and treatment, having cancer exacerbated her anxieties about her life choices - relationships, career, etc. - and strained her friendships and other connections. Because of the type of her cancer and because she was so young, she was put on medication that put her into early menopause - at the age of 25. While that doesn't necessarily sound bad, her menopausal symptoms were severe and caused terrible fluctuations in her mood and her body's ability to regulate its temperature (hot flashes doesn't seem to do justice to what she experiences!). She felt like the odd one out in cancer support groups - there weren't many people like her (genderqueer, Asian) - and she didn't have a lot in common with anyone except cancer, so it was hard to connect with people on other levels. She had excellent support from family in particular, but found it difficult to talk about her troubles with friends and coworkers. Being kind of a private and independent person, she found it difficult to ask for help and rely on others. One of the best things to come out of her cancer experiences was learning how to recognize and ask for what she needed and finding a therapist who could help her through all of it. A unique. voice in the cancer memoir category, with an interesting and relatable story.
June 21, 2020
Kimiko is a 25 year old lawyer. She has a promising career, a girlfriend and a busy life, but everything changes when she discovers a lump in her breast. Life then becomes something different as Kimiko navigates medical appointments, a successful operation and post-op treatments.
Cancer changes her life. Kimiko finds that her treatment causes other complications and she has to rethink aspects of her life that she wouldn't have thought about before. Cancer also makes her question life and her future, how she should now live and who she should live with. She has to respond to the concerns of her family but also her own concerns.
Having managed doctors, treatment, family and friends Kimiko realises she has to set the path of her life for herself. As she explores the way forward we see Kimiko beginning to find out what she wants cancer survival to look like.
I enjoyed reading this. The artwork is good and conveys the story effectively and powerfully. It is a great story, one that is both personal and encouraging.
Copy provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an unbiased review.
Cancer changes her life. Kimiko finds that her treatment causes other complications and she has to rethink aspects of her life that she wouldn't have thought about before. Cancer also makes her question life and her future, how she should now live and who she should live with. She has to respond to the concerns of her family but also her own concerns.
Having managed doctors, treatment, family and friends Kimiko realises she has to set the path of her life for herself. As she explores the way forward we see Kimiko beginning to find out what she wants cancer survival to look like.
I enjoyed reading this. The artwork is good and conveys the story effectively and powerfully. It is a great story, one that is both personal and encouraging.
Copy provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an unbiased review.
May 12, 2021
This was a very down to earth and poignant graphic novel, autobiography memoir about a 25 year old queer Chinese Canadian women who gets breast cancer and the journey through and after it.
I was compelled by the realism and openness Kimiko shares about her experience which exposes the conventional cancer narrative no longer being accurate. Which is something I haven't really thought about before. Her anxiety and hardship goes beyond just enduring a health crisis but her personal relationship, work responsibilities, social life and intercultural family.
Despite not being able to relate what she went through, the gentle yet distinctive illustrations helped bridge that gap.
Kimiko Does Cancer, is a wonderful and tender read.
I was compelled by the realism and openness Kimiko shares about her experience which exposes the conventional cancer narrative no longer being accurate. Which is something I haven't really thought about before. Her anxiety and hardship goes beyond just enduring a health crisis but her personal relationship, work responsibilities, social life and intercultural family.
Despite not being able to relate what she went through, the gentle yet distinctive illustrations helped bridge that gap.
Kimiko Does Cancer, is a wonderful and tender read.
January 26, 2021
Another great graphic medicine memoir. I identified a lot with dealing with the after effects of a disease that I’m theoretically free of but always threatens to return (although my disease isn’t potentially fatal)and that I will be on medication that has less than desirable side effects for the rest of my life. Also great descriptions of what it’s like to live with a chronic illness as a young person when the majority of your friends are fit and healthy.
March 7, 2021
Graphical medical memoir of tackling cancer without the sugar-coating. As a queer POC, Tobimatsu is able to bring a perspective that is often missing from similar stories. Simply but effectively illustrated.
January 20, 2021
Kimiko Does Cancer starts off running: the very first panel is Kimiko discovering the lump in her breast at age 25.
Kimiko Does Cancer doesn't pull any punches and there are many aspects that are likely to connect with all sorts of different readers. She's so open about how she didn't connect to the sort of cancer programs and stories out there for all sorts of reasons - her age, her queerness, her race, her politics, and most importantly, her personality. There are so many complicating factors with cancer already, from the physical to the emotional, and Kimiko's story really shows how added factors only make the already frustrating and draining experience even more isolating.
I particularly liked how she went into how certain aspects of breast cancer messaging made her feel uncomfortable or disconnected. The feminization, the positivity, rather than being the welcoming and uplifting support intended, didn't connect to Kimiko, and it didn't quite match up with her politics either. However, she doesn't diminish the way others feel about them - this is her journey, her thoughts, her feelings.
Kimiko does a good job of portraying her mental state and how confusing the whole process was and continues to be. Keet Geniza's art only adds to the emotion of Kimiko's story with careful, clear images that match seamlessly with Kimiko's narration. She captures in just a few simple lines, the complexities of Kimiko's feelings, her awkwardness, all of it.
All and all, a beautiful, touching graphic memoir of the uniqueness of an illness to an individual.
Kimiko Does Cancer doesn't pull any punches and there are many aspects that are likely to connect with all sorts of different readers. She's so open about how she didn't connect to the sort of cancer programs and stories out there for all sorts of reasons - her age, her queerness, her race, her politics, and most importantly, her personality. There are so many complicating factors with cancer already, from the physical to the emotional, and Kimiko's story really shows how added factors only make the already frustrating and draining experience even more isolating.
I particularly liked how she went into how certain aspects of breast cancer messaging made her feel uncomfortable or disconnected. The feminization, the positivity, rather than being the welcoming and uplifting support intended, didn't connect to Kimiko, and it didn't quite match up with her politics either. However, she doesn't diminish the way others feel about them - this is her journey, her thoughts, her feelings.
Kimiko does a good job of portraying her mental state and how confusing the whole process was and continues to be. Keet Geniza's art only adds to the emotion of Kimiko's story with careful, clear images that match seamlessly with Kimiko's narration. She captures in just a few simple lines, the complexities of Kimiko's feelings, her awkwardness, all of it.
All and all, a beautiful, touching graphic memoir of the uniqueness of an illness to an individual.
January 13, 2023
Content notes for cancer and nudity.
A book with a clear mission, and not a centimeter of room was wasted. This is a potent and very personal story.
The art felt a bit reminiscent of Fun Home but different enough it didn't feel like a knock off. Plus it really does really seem to fit with Kimiko's personality.
And for such a highly focused and personal narrative, Kimiko Does Cancer manages to pack quite the diverse punch.
Kimiko is unafraid to examine her experience of cancer through the lenses of gender, sexuality, class and age.
A lawyer in canada, Kimiko does not lack access to treatment, but is honest about the ignorance she has run into with how heteronormative medicine is and all.
Being a bi-racial woman in a place like Toronto I'm not surprised at how much racial diversity was present, but it's important.
And there is of course some discussion of Kimiko's struggle of being a young working professional who is also undergoing major medical treatment.
I also appreciated Kimiko's insight into and commentary on the mainstream cancer narrative as compared to her own, as well as the way she highlighted her experience with menopause and the question of fertility.
To conclude, I found this book extremely informative and engrossing. So short it's hard not to just universally recommend, five stars!
A book with a clear mission, and not a centimeter of room was wasted. This is a potent and very personal story.
The art felt a bit reminiscent of Fun Home but different enough it didn't feel like a knock off. Plus it really does really seem to fit with Kimiko's personality.
And for such a highly focused and personal narrative, Kimiko Does Cancer manages to pack quite the diverse punch.
Kimiko is unafraid to examine her experience of cancer through the lenses of gender, sexuality, class and age.
A lawyer in canada, Kimiko does not lack access to treatment, but is honest about the ignorance she has run into with how heteronormative medicine is and all.
Being a bi-racial woman in a place like Toronto I'm not surprised at how much racial diversity was present, but it's important.
And there is of course some discussion of Kimiko's struggle of being a young working professional who is also undergoing major medical treatment.
I also appreciated Kimiko's insight into and commentary on the mainstream cancer narrative as compared to her own, as well as the way she highlighted her experience with menopause and the question of fertility.
To conclude, I found this book extremely informative and engrossing. So short it's hard not to just universally recommend, five stars!
June 16, 2023
This is a short graphic-memoir that hit very close to home. Kimiko and I had different cancers and thus a different treatment, but otherwise have very similar experiences. While unfortunately the ability to freeze my eggs was not possible for me, everything else from the impact section on basically felt like my thoughts and feelings mirrored back to me almost exactly. It was nice to feel not so alone in this situation.
I gave it 4 stars because I wish it was a little meatier. I would have really liked some ideas to be fleshed out more. For example, she mentions how it is so annoying for people who naturally went through menopause because of age to tell you it's no big deal, "been there done that." I get it, but I feel like someone without this specific experience might not understand why their attempt to empathize is more hurtful than helpful. I just feel like outsiders could get a lot more from this work if it explored such ideas more thoroughly.
I gave it 4 stars because I wish it was a little meatier. I would have really liked some ideas to be fleshed out more. For example, she mentions how it is so annoying for people who naturally went through menopause because of age to tell you it's no big deal, "been there done that." I get it, but I feel like someone without this specific experience might not understand why their attempt to empathize is more hurtful than helpful. I just feel like outsiders could get a lot more from this work if it explored such ideas more thoroughly.
February 6, 2024
I understand that the purpose of the book was to portray the struggles of fighting cancer and the issues adjacent to that, but to me it felt overly dark. This is valid though, as it is a personal memoir and expressed the feelings of the author. It was uncomfortable having the atmosphere be so heavy the whole time, even portrayed by the color scheme, but was a necessary evil to present the evil Kimiko faced. It was a good book, just not for me.
June 9, 2024
As someone who lives with a chronic illness, I related particularly to the sections of the impact of disease on mental health, advocating for yourself in the confusing world of doctors and treatments, as well as awkward situations with those who insist on toxic positivity. It’s also always nice to read an account of someone else who gets what you’re going through even though they have a different lived history than you do—that’s what this graphic novel felt like for me.
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June 4, 2021This comic was discussed on Episode 60 of The Secret Stacks.
May 11, 2024
made me think differently about what recovering from cancer means.
January 16, 2023
I felt very seen by this memoir, thank you
October 17, 2023
não sei porque desgostei tanto. senti raiva da protagonista e da forma de contar as coisas. é coerente, sim, mas ao mesmo tempo não gostei. sei lá. mas as ilustrações são legais e a perspectiva é importante.
January 19, 2021
After walking with loved ones through cancer these past six years, I found this book to be very insightful. The writing provokes questions and provides questions which a loved one or the person experiencing cancer themselves may not have thought of.
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January 4, 2022Really wonderful book. Kimiko Tobimatsu shares a lot about what it was like for her to undergo a cancer diagnosis and treatment as a young, queer, mixed-race woman. She writes of communication challenges with her medical team, her relationships, and mainstream cancer narratives. Tobimatsu also speaks to the fear of recurrence and the side effects of her preventative treatment.
Sections sometimes ended abruptly but it wasn't hard to get into the subsequent section; I felt that it was overall a smooth reading experience. This is a slim book that packs in a lot.
The illustrations by Keet Geniza are light on color (perhaps an artifact of the e-book) but I don't think they suffered for that. I thought they were just perfect for the text and tone.
Sections sometimes ended abruptly but it wasn't hard to get into the subsequent section; I felt that it was overall a smooth reading experience. This is a slim book that packs in a lot.
The illustrations by Keet Geniza are light on color (perhaps an artifact of the e-book) but I don't think they suffered for that. I thought they were just perfect for the text and tone.
January 18, 2021
Very tender and sensitive non-fiction memoir of a young, queer woman’s journey through an unexpected battle with breast cancer. It reminded me a bit of a helpful pamphlet which you might find in a hospital waiting room-informative and straightforward. On the downside, it was only available (to me) as two page spreads in an ebook, and not on kindle, so I was unable to zoom into see smaller type-such as asterisked footnotes. The art was really good-great use of patterns with an effective limited palette.
March 3, 2023
This is probably the most grounded to earth cancer story I've read or seen. Kimiko Does Cancer is a rare story that will sadly be lost among the shuffle of titles but it's one that deserves all the praise it gets.
Kimiko is a young, queer, mixed-race woman making her way through her diagnosis. What I liked most about this story is she doesn't become a martyr. As she critiques mainstream cancer culture, she brings critique of often white mainstream cancer culture and how the system neglects queer healthcare. She joins groups but isn't able to fit into the culture of the group and struggles as a result.
It's refreshing and true. Kimiko Does Cancer is a poignant example that although it seems that narratives are predetermined for us, we can still go our own way because we aren't neatly written one-dimensional storylines, we're human.
Kimiko is a young, queer, mixed-race woman making her way through her diagnosis. What I liked most about this story is she doesn't become a martyr. As she critiques mainstream cancer culture, she brings critique of often white mainstream cancer culture and how the system neglects queer healthcare. She joins groups but isn't able to fit into the culture of the group and struggles as a result.
It's refreshing and true. Kimiko Does Cancer is a poignant example that although it seems that narratives are predetermined for us, we can still go our own way because we aren't neatly written one-dimensional storylines, we're human.
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