Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Author’s Note
Prelude
The Beginning
As Sick as a Person Can Be
The Patient Who Stopped My Heart
A Life Turned Upside Down
Crazy in Love
A Rock in the Face of a Storm
The Importance of Kind Thoughts
The Exorcising of Demons
A Sack Full of Stones
The Hospital Roller Coaster
The Power of Determination
Hepburn and Tracy
Random Thoughts in a Dark Room
A Week Is a Very Long Time
A Mother’s Son
The Red Assassin
The Power of a Letter
A Glimpse of Nancy’s Garden
A Kick to the Groin
A New Perspective
A Half-Full Glass of Lemonade
As Close to Heaven as You Can Get
Cherishing Each Day as It Comes
Only in the South
Playing the Waiting Game
Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder
It’s All or Nothing
The Answer Is “Super”
Laughter Is the Best Medicine
No Worries
Anger Isn’t a Bad Thing
A Day Full of Promise
A Day of Less Promise
Singing in the Sunlight
Christmas in July
A Trip to Normal
I Yam What I Yam
A Tip of the Hat to Chemotherapy
Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow
Donuts and the Nadir
An All-Too-Familiar Question
A Wait Well Worth It
It’s Party Time
The Numbers Don’t Add Up, Part 1
The Numbers Don’t Add Up, Part 2
It’s as Clear as Mud
The Details Are a Little Muddy
The Large and Small of It All
That’s a Lot of Stuff
New Stories from Cancerland
Smiles All Around
The Perfect Vacation
Two Is Better than One
In Search of Mecca
Perfection Is in the Numbers
The Many Kindnesses of Those around Us
Free as a Bird
Nectar of the Gods
Another One Bites the Dust
Laughter Is the Best Medicine
When Final Really Is Final
Merriment in a Dark Time
A Journey of Daydreams
The Last Supper
The Transplant Shuffle
Luck Is Believing You’re Lucky
Pleasant Dreams, Sweetheart
From This Day Forward
The One Redeeming Quality of a Crocodile
The Angels Were with Us Last Night
Nancy Has Begun Drinking Again
The Two Unspoken Words
The Engraftment Blues
One More Bite of Oatmeal
A Real Reason to Give Thanks
A Jumbo Pillbox
Ask and You Will Get Answers
The Merry-Go-Round Goes Round
Balancing on a Tightrope
So You Think You Can Dance?
The Best Christmas Ever
Stepping Up Isn’t Hard to Do
A Holiday Miracle
A Christmas to Remember
Warts and All
Tonight’s the Night
The New Normal
Sharks in the Water
A Single Blade of Grass
A Shining Light
An Age-Old Ritual
The Mother of Good Fortune
Thoughts on Kissing a Fashionista
The Real Deal
The Best Gift of All
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
This Isn’t Our First Rodeo
The Best Laid Plans
The Essence of Happiness
A Toast to Regularity
A Very Important Anniversary
Hope instead of Uncertainty
Such a Long, Long Way
A Great Day for a Haircut
Growing Up Is Hard
Christmas in April
Transplant + Two
Castles by the Sea
Conclusion
Finale
About the Authors
About the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society