What I Learned from Cancer
"For me, this experience has been so much more than that [cancer]," writes Maione. "It has been a journal of much of my life,...It has been a prompter to memory. Most of all, it has been a reaffirmation of the power of community."
Prompters to Life
Trade Paper 218 pages
Review by Carla McKay
If you have cancer or know someone who does, this book is for you and your friend. Part narrative, reflection, and primer, this book has wit, wisdom, romance and passion. It has laughter while acknowledging the painful struggle to find life and hope in the midst of this trying journey.
Struck twice with colorectal cancer, he is a survivor who won't let his age or disease hold him back from enjoying life. Dennis has completed two Ironman triathlons.
Jake MacDonald, author of Grizzlyville: Adventures in Bear Country, wrote: "...And I thought bears were scary. Dennis Maione faced down the ultimate opponent and lived to tell the tale. In this book he explains how he survived and learned to run faster than cancer."
Dr. Gerald Bowler, author of Santa Claus: A Biography writes this about Maione's story:
"There is literary gold here. It's immediate, raw, and personal. It's also very funny in some spots."
The author gives answers to the questions about the treatment, prevention, and does cancer run in the family?
His narrative is compelling. Here's some of what he writes: "...Most of my story has not been written yet, I suppose. I am middle-aged, and I hope that I have 30-35 good years left. These days, I actually think about genetics more than I do cancer, primarily because cancer is a symptom of something much more insidious, the tendency of my body to let cancer start and to grow quickly; potentially, it could grab me again one day, despite the best efforts of my doctors...."
"...For me, this experience has been so much more than that. It has been a journal of much of my life, some of which was perhaps 20 years overdue. It has been a prompter to memory. But most of all, it has been a reaffirmation of the power of community. This community, my community, saw me through my darkest hours and held me in more ways than can be counted or recounted...."
What I Learned from Cancer is available from Prompters to Life (www.prompterstolife.com/shoppers) as well as local bookstores. Dennis is available to speak to groups large and small. Parents of three children (and three cats), Dennis and his wife live in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Email him at info@prompterstolife.com
