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"These ladies have made survival look like a plan, not just a possibility..."

Kim Koppman

Prologue

Our book began simply as an attempt to pass along some tips for dealing with cancer to others who might be facing the same challenge. We gathered initially in the treatment room at the hospital, working while one or more of us received chemotherapy. Eventually, we graduated to home meetings, which became so much fun that often we got very little accomplished other than eating wonderful meals and laughing boisterously. Sometimes we wore silly hats, feather boas and other adornments; other times we simply “came as we were.” We overcame many obstacles in the writing and came to view this as a metaphor for all that challenged us in our lives.

One especially difficult, yet amazing, meeting occurred several years ago now, when we gathered at a relative’s home for an intensive three-day weekend – no families, no phones, no other responsibilities. And as it turned out, no plumbing! The weekend began with everyone arriving in the foyer greeted by the sight of toilet paper packages, which our hostess had thoughtfully left for us. We all agreed that it was foreshadowing (Susan even captured the moment with a photograph!). For the next three days, we endured overflowing toilets, a backed up septic tank, no flushing, sanitary clean-up crews and more. Probably worst of all, our computer crashed, resulting in our losing every bit of the work that we had labored over so diligently up to then. Other people probably would have quit, screamed, cried, or at the very least, yelled obscenities. But our group could not be deterred by such puny challenges. After all, we were dealing with a much bigger one - ongoing cancer treatments for three of us. One thing that cancer can do is put life into sharp focus. We laughed more that weekend than at any other time in our lives and became as close as people can become who must share such intimacies. We decided that the book was secondary to the wonder and joy of such a powerful communion of spirits.

This book is not intended as a work of fine literature, though we certainly hope it is readable, informative, and in some ways compelling. We are real people who have faced real challenges, speaking in our own words. We share our experiences in the hope of connecting with others undergoing similar challenges. If we can convey one thing to you through this book, let it be this: love will sustain you during your difficulties as it did us that weekend. Along the way, in reading, we hope you will also find some things to help guide you on your cancer journey. This is our attempt to walk beside you, to offer you comfort, hope and most of all, love.