Humor After the Tumor

One Woman's Look at Her Year With Breast Cancer

Breast cancer survivor Patty Gelman recounts her journey through "Cancer World" in a series of anecdotes, chronicling her year-long struggle with the disease in an upbeat, colloquial, and often candidly funny way. Typical of her unyieldingly positive attitude is the way that Gelman breaks the news to her mother, also a cancer survivor: "'Well, it's my turn now!'"Instead of keeping a journal during her treatment, Gelman preferred to share her experiences online, a choice she found surprisingly therapeutic. What started as periodic e-mails to family and friends soon developed into a book many cancer patients are turning to for hope. E-mails also served as an outlet and a built-in support group when her mother contracted lung cancer and passed on within the year. Gelman's story becomes larger than her disease, exploring the task of coping with the unexpected, and the value of family.