Conspiring to Heal

When Van Metaxas's wife, Maria, was diagnosed with terminal cancer in the winter of 2010-when their son, Satchi, was just seven years old-he began keeping an intimate journal of their quest for healing. He recorded the details of their visits with experts in oncology and integrative medicine, acupuncturists, a Tibetan healer, nutritionists, and their spiritual teacher, Ammachi, the hugging saint. He delved into cutting-edge scientific research as they sought out hope, clarity, and compassion in the sometimes-disheartening world of cancer treatment. Most importantly, he kept an unflinchingly honest diary of their family's intimate moments: the way illness challenged and deepened their thirty-year marriage; their conversations with Satchi about healing, death, and God; and the final days of Maria's life, as she relinquished her role as wife and mother, and turned to face her reunion with God. The result is a breathtaking story of one family's empowering journey to love open-heartedly in the face of illness and death. It will touch the hearts of anyone who has faced loss-or aspires to live each day more fully.