Main description:

Susan Wener survived cancer not once, but twice. The first time she followed the traditional route of surgery and chemotherapy. The second she went renegade, stepping out into the field of alternative medicine. This book brings to life a journey of more than 30 years, years filled with joy, as well as incredible physical, psychological, and spiritual challenges. As an educator and therapist who helps individuals cope with life-threatening illness, Wener brings a unique perspective to this story. As both a therapist and a patient, she discovers that what is most successful is medical care that is integrated, taking the whole patient into account, not just the disease in isolation. In prose that is both funny and profoundly moving, Wener takes us on her extraordinary journey to wellness and wisdom. She shares her innermost feelings with honesty, insight, and humor. She reminds us that life is filled with endless possibility, that hope and wishful thinking not only help us keep our heads above water but are essential to our sanity, and that what makes us magic is our ability to pick ourselves up every time we fall.