Curveball


Book Description

Life seemed idyllic for thirty-two-year-old Liz Holzemer. Wife of Major League Baseball pitcher Mark Holzemer, Liz was enjoying a successful career as a journalist when an MRI revealed a baseball-size brain tumor she soon found out was called meningioma. Told with clarity and unwavering humor, this book is an inspirational and informative account of one woman's battle for her life. It shows how she emerged from this frightening diagnosis and two brain surgeries retaining her remarkable spirit of survival and renewed sense of purpose and hope. With practical information about meningioma and brain surgery, Curveball is a manual for people who face life-altering challenges and is also proof that one need not fight such battles alone.




The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind


Book Description

In the tradition of My Stroke of Insight and Brain on Fire, this powerful memoir recounts Barbara Lipska's deadly brain cancer and explains its unforgettable lessons about the brain and mind. Neuroscientist Lipska was diagnosed early in 2015 with metastatic melanoma in her brain's frontal lobe. As the cancer progressed and was treated, she experienced behavioral and cognitive symptoms connected to a range of mental disorders, including dementia and her professional specialty, schizophrenia. Lipska's family and associates were alarmed by the changes in her behavior, which she failed to acknowledge herself. Gradually, after a course of immunotherapy, Lipska returned to normal functioning, amazingly recalled her experience, and through her knowledge of neuroscience identified the ways in which her brain changed during treatment. Lipska admits her condition was unusual; after recovery she was able to return to her research and resume her athletic training and compete in a triathalon. Most patients with similar brain cancers rarely survive to describe their ordeal. Lipska's memoir, coauthored with journalist Elaine McArdle, shows that strength and courage but also an encouraging support network are vital to recovery.




The Last Lecture


Book Description

The author, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, explores his life, the lessons that he has learned, how he has worked to achieve his childhood dreams, and the effect of his diagnosis on him and his family.




Forever Optimistic


Book Description

Join a high-powered lawyer on his fight for life against brain cancer and his continuing efforts to remain Forever Optimistic. At age fifty-five, Robert S. Brams, a former college athlete, was in perfect health. Bob was blessed with a beautiful family, including his wife and two children. He had a circle of close friends and a hard-driving international law practice as partner at one of the most prestigious firms in Washington, DC. But after a fateful car accident, an MRI scan revealed a shadow on his brain that suddenly shattered his carefully constructed life. Brams was diagnosed with brain cancer—one of the most overwhelming challenges a person can face. What would the future hold for Brams and his family? Brams has been through six extraordinary years—four hospitals, two brain surgeries, a seizure, a stroke, a coma, life support, ICUs, radiation, chemotherapy, various rehab regimens, a hemophilia diagnosis, and countless MRIs. With all this, Brams’s insurers categorized him as a “Catastrophic Loss.” Despite all that’s happened, Brams is still in the fight, and he is determined to achieve an important purpose—to help beat brain cancer. While his legal career has ended, his continuing struggles have caused him to reprioritize his values and change his perspective on what really matters in life. Having stood at death’s door and now confronted with an uncertain prognosis, Brams’s insights on life, love, family, education, business, and finding your passion take on a distinctive power and clarity. Readers from every walk of life looking for inspiration and motivation will find it in Brams’s remarkable story. Struggles, setbacks, and failures in his youth were “no fun,” but with optimism and determination, Brams found his best path and ultimately succeeded. He reminds us that it’s not where you start, but rather where you finish. Inspiring, powerful, and eminently readable, Forever Optimistic: Fighting Brain Cancer, Finding Your Best Path, and Leading a Life With Purpose is by turns moving, humorous, and brimming with hard-won wisdom. Brams’s story is one of remarkable courage in the face of tragedy. Please support the brain cancer fight at www.1MBBC.com.




Dying to Be Me


Book Description

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! "I had the choice to come back ... or not. I chose to return when I realized that 'heaven' is a state, not a place" In this truly inspirational memoir, Anita Moorjani relates how, after fighting cancer for almost four years, her body began shutting down—overwhelmed by the malignant cells spreading throughout her system. As her organs failed, she entered into an extraordinary near-death experience where she realized her inherent worth . . . and the actual cause of her disease. Upon regaining consciousness, Anita found that her condition had improved so rapidly that she was released from the hospital within weeks—without a trace of cancer in her body! Within this enhanced e-book, Anita recounts—in words and on video—stories of her childhood in Hong Kong, her challenge to establish her career and find true love, as well as how she eventually ended up in that hospital bed where she defied all medical knowledge. In "Dying to Be Me," Anita Freely shares all she has learned about illness, healing, fear, "being love," and the true magnificence of each and every human being!




Kiss Your Brain


Book Description




The Finch in My Brain


Book Description

'Whenever I see Martino I am reminded of how little I know about life and death compared to him. How we don't know what is within us or what may lie on the other side. I hope it's as magical and beautiful as this book.' --Russell Brand When film producer Martino Sclavi began experiencing intense headaches, he attributed them to his frenetic lifestyle. As it turned out, he had grade 4 brain cancer and was given 18 months to live. After undergoing brain surgery - while awake - Martino found he had lost the ability to recognise words. His response was to close his eyes and begin to move his fingers across the keyboard to write this, an account of life before diagnosis and since. Defying all predictions Martino is still very much alive, words read out to him by the monotone of a computerised voice he calls Alex. But he must now live in a new way. This book - that he has written but cannot read - charts the effects of his experience: on his relationship with his young son, his marriage, his work and with himself. In the wake of his illness, everything must be reconfigured and Martino is made to question the habits, dreams and beliefs of his old life and confront the present. What he finds is strange and beautiful. Searching for the words between life and death, Sclavi shows that with determination and a subtle, persistent sense of humour, it is possible to change the story of our lives.




Peter Watts Is An Angry Sentient Tumor


Book Description

With over fifty unpredictable, scathing, hilarious, and more-than-occasionally moving essays about science, politics, family, pop culture, religion and more, Peter Watts — Hugo Award-winning author, former marine biologist, and “angry sentient tumor” (via Annalee Newitz, author of Autonomous) — shows why he is the savage dystopian optimist whom you can’t look away from ... even when you probably should. [STARRED REVIEW] “Irreverent, self-depreciating, profane, and funny, showcasing a Hunter S. Thompson–esque studied rage and dissatisfaction with the status quo combined with the readability and humor of John Scalzi.” —Booklist Which of the following is true? Peter Watts is banned from the U.S. Watts almost died from flesh-eating bacteria. A schizophrenic man living in Watts’s backyard almost set the house on fire. Watts was raised by Baptists who really sucked at giving presents. Peter Watts said to read this book. Or else. With Watts's infamous penchant for blunt, honest, and deep reflection, these retrospective essays provide a view inside his head and even into his heart.




Chief Complaint: Brain Tumor


Book Description

At 57 years old, John Kerastas thought he was the poster child for fifty-year old healthiness: he competed in triathlons, rode in 100 mile biking events and ate a healthy diet chock full of organic vegetables. Then he discovered that he had a brain tumor the size of his wife's fist. His memoir chronicles the first year he spent addressing tumor-related health issues: preparing for his first operation, discovering a dangerous skull infection, having the infected portion of his skull surgically removed, learning about his substantial vision and cognitive losses, undergoing rehab and radiation treatments, and learning to live with his "new normal." According to Kerastas, the phrase "new normal" is the medical community's code words for "You're alive, so quit complaining." As his health changed, so did his sense of humor. He writes that his humor started out superficially light-hearted prior to the first operation; transmogrified into gallows humor after several subsequent operations; and leveled out as somewhat wry-ish after radiation and rehab. This is a surprisingly upbeat and inspiring book for anybody interested in memoirs about people dealing with personal crises, for patients trudging through rehab, for caretakers helping victims of serious illnesses, or for anybody looking for an unexpected chuckle from an unlikely subject. JOHN KERASTAS has worked at a global advertising agency, at several technology start-up companies and as a free-lance writer. Now, in addition to non-profit and charitable work, he spends his time blogging, speaking and writing about brain health, brain tumors and rehab. You can follow his blog or view his presentations schedule at www.johnstumor.blogspot.com.




So Long, Normal


Book Description

In the shifting (or even collapsing) of everything familiar in life, you don’t have to wring your hands in fear. Push past the loss of your “normal” with bestselling author and Bible teacher Laura Story, and step into the new story God is writing for you. You've been faced with circumstances beyond your control. Your plans are altered. But you have the blessing of a Father who loves you enough to take off the training wheels and place his beloved child in the best possible scenario for your good and growth. So Long, Normal guides you to leave behind the idols of comfort, caution, and routine so you can live strong and well, even when life takes an unwelcome turn. In her confessional, conversational style, worship leader, Bible teacher, and Christian recording artist Laura Story weaves her own personal stories with examples from Scripture of characters whose lives were upended by unexpected (and undesired) change. So Long, Normal will help you: Process the trauma of the loss of your “normal” Learn to rest in God’s plan for you instead of trying to control your circumstances Find true community and encouragement in your struggle with uncertainty Discover three great comforts and three gifts to steady you on your journey Face the future with fresh spiritual eyes and find joy in the unwavering strength of Christ Losing your “normal” is not the end of the world but the beginning of a new adventure. It is possible to grow with grace through tough times, navigating the unknown secure in the knowledge that God is with you—every step of the way.