You Can Do This!: Surviving Breast Cancer Without Losing Your Sanity or Your Style

by Kelley Tuthill, Kelley Tuthill

Breast cancer survivors Kelley Tuthill and Elisha Daniels are redefining what it means to be a cancer patient. More than 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer each year, but that diagnosis does not mean sitting on the sidelines while life passes you by. Both Tuthill and Daniels worked throughout their extensive cancer treatments and continued to enjoy their family, friends, and high-profile careers while fighting the fight of their lives. You Can Do This! shares with you the strategies that worked, what didn't, and what they wish they'd have known at the time of diagnosis, namely

* Send a message to the world that you are healing, not dying. 

* Surround yourself with people who know how to make you feel better.

* Try to stick to your routine when possible. Go to work. Take the kids to school.

* Have a plan for what you will do at 2:00 a.m. if you cannot sleep.

* Keep wearing makeup and high heels. You dont have to look and feel like a patient all the time.

* Believe that you can beat this!

Benefiting from the expertise of Dr. Ann Partridge, an oncologist at the renowned Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston who helped both of the authors through their own cancer journeys, this triumvirate answers questions Can you keep working? How do you pick out a wig or pencil in an eyebrow? What role might reconstruction surgery and prosthetics play in your recovery? What steps can you take to retain a professional, healthy image despite the effects of chemotherapy? How do you broach the subject of cancer with small children? Is it possible to lose your hair and not your sense of humor or libido?

Inside You Can Do This! , Tuthill and Daniels help the newly diagnosed patient work through the initial shock of diagnosis and move forward to face the coming challenges with courage, strength, grace, makeup, and high heels. By offering advice on looking your best, even when you no longer look or feel like yourself, Tuthill and Daniels emphasize that you can continue to lead an active life and that it's perfectly acceptable to research chemotherapy alongside the latest offerings from Chanel.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I DON'T have cancer, but I know ppl who have had. Here is Kelly & Elisha's story - both are breast cancer survivors. I read 1/2 the book, so if you can get past the typographical and grammatical errors, this is a good read. For the idea of trying to help other breast cancer patients, survivors, their families and loves ones, I give an A. This is a good read for anyone with diagnosed with breast cancer and her families. It is very informative about the many, many options.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because I am interviewing one of the authors for a features story. I strongly recommend this book for anyone battling with or know something who is currently going through a breast cancer diagnosis. The book reviews multiple treament options, what to expect in terms of the diagnostic process, surgery, chemotherapy/radiation etc. It also is personalized with excerpts fro mboth Daniels and Tuthill's experiences, helping the reader feel connected to other breast cancer survivors.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arrived home after my seventh radiotherapy session to find the Kindle edition of this book free from Amazon. A lot of the specific information was relevant only to the US but the book included some good general advice and most of all a positive approach.

[Cathy Tarr]

Kelley Tuthill is a reporter and substitute anchor at WCVB Channel 5 in Boston.