Cancer: the Unexpected Gift: Inspirational Stories of Hope & Significance

Cancer: The Unexpected Gift is a compilation of stories that profile individuals and families who have taken a frightening medical diagnosis and turned it into a positive gift.Medical oncologist Dr. J. Patrick Daugherty is familiar with many who are living well while living longer. Together with three-time cancer survivor Edie Hand, they share inspiring personal anecdotes from individuals who openly express the doubts, fears, perplexities, and positive reflections they experienced after their cancer diagnoses. Each story is introduced with a summary and concluded with relevant biblical passages that further illustrate lessons learned by patients and their families.Two-year-old Austin was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and after more than three years of chemotherapy, he remains in remission. His mother received the gift of living one day at a time. Ken survived metastatic colon cancer before developing prostate cancer which later spread to his bones. He searched for answers and found significance in his life, receiving the gift of service to others.Each of the people profiled in this collection have faced the enemy of cancer and its subsequent suff ering. Together, they share the extraordinary lessons they have learned-not in dying, but in living.

Dr. J. Patrick Daugherty founded and currently directs the Northwest Alabama Cancer Center and is Medical Director of Hospice of Tennessee Valley. He lives with his wife and childhood sweetheart, Becky, in Florence, Alabama. They have three daughters and seven granddaughters, who affectionately refer to him as “dada.” Edie Hand is a three-time cancer survivor and has either authored or co-authored over twenty books. A host of numerous national radio and television shows, she has been CEO of Hand ‘N Hand Advertising since 1976. She has a grown son and lives near Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband Mark.