Cancer – I Won!

Few books written about victory over the seemingly overwhelming diagnosis of cancer have been written in such boldly spoken, yet eloquent language so devoid of self pity that is the essence of that mysterious quality we call courage. CANCER…I WON! No wonder, Zosia Ettenberg, the author who had polio at six months of age but somehow did a degree in Physiotherapy at McGill University, got married, adopted two boys, then overcame, with stunning resolve, the diagnosis of her children with fetal alcohol syndrome, raised them well, survived post polio syndrome, the blows of losing her job as Director of Education and Quality Assurance at Langley Memorial Hospital, the loss of her home, the death of her husband, the loss of her campaign for the Provincial Liberal Nomination, and as if that weren’t enough poverty, widowhood, unemployment and cancer. Any one of these would be enough to sink even the strongest “sail into the gale.” Zosia, just moved into a mobile home, got a job, became the top Sales Rep. for her company for Western Canada in under two years, and, oh yes, had a mastectomy, chemo, beat the cancer and went to Mexico to live her life long dream of swimming with the dolphins. And, in the meantime we, her stunned and sometimes even disbelieving friends, (I mean how much can one person survive?) nominated her for “The 2008 Courage to Comeback Award” which Zosia won. If you want to know how she survived and was triumphant over all these ills you have to read the book “CANCER….I WON”. It has her heartbeat on every page.