Stories from the Chronic Side of Cancer
Nonfiction / Health / Cancer
Date Published: November 15, 2024
As medical advancements accelerate, more people are living long lives with
cancer. The Big C2 delves into how survivors can become thrivers, despite
the challenges of a chronic cancer fluctuating between the need for
immediate attention and the patience for watchful waiting. Through a
collection of essays and interviews, it aims to enlighten the conversation
around chronic cancer among patients, their loved ones and healthcare
professionals. This book is an invaluable resource for anyone feeling alone
or misunderstood while navigating this complex landscape. It offers
transformative personal insights, tools and experience-based hope,
emphasizing the importance of open, honest conversations to empower and
support those affected.
INTERVIEW
Introduce yourself and tell me about what you do.
I have been a health and science writer most of my life - a distinguished 40-year career of published work, including as a "stringer" (contributor) for The New York Times for 6 or 7 years as I was raising two young boys and again in recent years. I have managed communications for a number of national non-profit organizations and primarily enjoy freelancing at this point. I have also lived with a rare chronic blood cancer for three decades. Today as both a patient advocate and journalist, I host global patient webinars, interviews world-renowned cancer specialists, and serve as the only patient representative on a clinical guidelines panel of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). I live with her husband and curly pup Ruby in a picturesque “city in the country” in Upstate New York.
Tell me more about your journey as an author, including the writing processes.
The video above speaks to this. I am a writer and began over time writing essays. I wrote my first 1st person story for the NY Times in the middle of COVID, about living with a rare blood cancer and how research dollars and interest followed a reclassification from a blood "disorder" to a blood "cancer.". You can read it (without a NYT subscription on my website here
https://www.rfrwrites.com/post/the-ny-times-when-a-cancer-label-is-a-good-thing) Actually my website is a good place to learn more about me - the About page.
Tell me about your Book
The book is intentionally a short read, just under 150 pages. It is meant to be an enjoyable read, with a number of informative, inspirational stories, and filled with Aha! moments for patients, family and loved ones, and even healthcare practitioners.
Any message for our readers
If you or a loved one is living with a chronic cancer and you are barreling down the third loop of a massive rollercoaster, read this book. It can offer a handbrake to stop the spiraling. It offers information, insight and inspiration that can help. Do you want to scream when people in your life say: "but you look fine . . . you're lucky you never felt really sick . . . or why are you always turning down our social invitations . . .?" Your aren't alone. People around us don't understand what it's like to live with a chronic cancer, or the emotional and physical affects of a cancer that may have been cured long ago. Together, we can change these conversations by informing patients, loved ones, caregivers, and the medical community itself.
About the Author
Ruth Fein Revell is a health and life science writer with a distinguished
40-year career of published work, including for The New York Times. She has
also lived with a rare chronic blood cancer for three decades. Today, she is
a patient advocate, hosts global patient webinars, interviews world-renowned
cancer specialists, and is the patient representative on a clinical
guidelines panel of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network
(NCCN). She lives with her husband and curly pup Ruby in a picturesque
“city in the country” in Upstate New York.
Contact Links
Website
Facebook
LinkedIn
Instagram: @ruthfeinr
X: @rfeinw
Purchase Links
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
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