Navigating Cancer from Both Sides: A Nurse's Memoir as Patient, Advocate and Guide

When a nurse becomes the patient, the journey changes--but the calling to heal remains.

Deb Bailey was a marathon runner, a vegan, a non-drinker, and a lifelong healthcare professional. So when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40, she did what few expected: she chose surgery, but walked away from chemotherapy and radiation--turning instead to alternative therapies, deep inner work, and fierce self-advocacy. Thirty years later, a second diagnosis--this time of head and neck cancer--brought her back into the fight, once again navigating fear, medicine, and healing in a system she thought she knew.

Part memoir, part guidebook, Navigating Cancer from Both Sides weaves personal story, professional insight, and spiritual wisdom into a powerful invitation: to ask questions, trust your instincts, and reclaim your voice in the face of illness. With over 40 years as a nurse, professor, healthcare executive, and lobbyist, Deb offers readers a rare glimpse behind the curtain of modern medicine--revealing both its strengths and its blind spots.

This is not a one-size-fits-all survival story. It's an honest, hopeful roadmap for patients, caregivers, and anyone seeking to walk their own healing path with clarity and courage.