Waldy, Myelo, & Me

If you, a loved one, or one of your patients is suffering from a blood or bone marrow cancer, this is your bookAt fifty-seven, Dr. Carol Turner was in peak health and avidly participating in the full gamut of outdoor spots that Colorado has to offer. Then, heading out to watch her sons compete in the state's annual mountain bike championship, she pulled into a gas station, received a call from her doctor, and learned that she had cancer. She knew instantly that what was to come had personal and universal significance, and started taking notes immediately, from the passenger seat of the car.Those notes turned into this book-a candid, unvarnished chronicle of her cancer journey, from diagnosis to recovery. The path oscillates between denial and acceptance, hope and despair, expectation and reality, and endless appointments bookended by interminable waits. There's a one-night descent into madness, a one-month descent into hell, and in the middle of that, a moment of pristine clarity in which time almost seems to stop. While there's plenty of fear and pain here, both are trumped by positivity, gratitude, and humor, all of which made her recovery possible.This is the story of what Dr. Turner went through, what her family went through, what she spared them from, as well as a cast of all-too-human caregivers who shepherded her along the way. This is a great read for cancer patients, and a must-read for bone marrow and blood cancer patients. Beyond that, this book isn't just for those facing cancer themselves-it's for the people who love them, and the people who have dedicated their lives to caring for them.