About My Hair: A Journey to Recovery [Paperback]

Marcia Reid Marsted (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0971673705 | ISBN-13: 978-0971673700 | Publication Date: February 2, 2002

"First I am a photographer. Periodically, I am a cancer patient." These are the opening lines of "About My Hair : A Journey to Recovery" by Marcia Reid Marsted. "Following surgery for my second primary cancer, chemotherapy was going to be necessary to reduce the possibility of a recurrence. As a working artist, I decided to record the changes that would occur as a series of photographic self-portraits."

Editorial Reviews

Review

The pictures are about hair. The writing is about hair. But the book is about so much more than hair. -- The Hartford Courant, February 27, 2002, Pat Seremet

From the Publisher

Every year 2,500 new cancer patients arrive at The Helen and Harry Gray Cancer Center at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, CT. This center is only one of many in the small state of Connecticut. Too many people with cancer will be forced into baldness as a side-effect of their chemotherapy. This book is not just another "Cancer Story." It is a record of an extremely difficult time, commonly experienced by cancer patients around the world. Patients, as well as their family and friends, and anyone touched by cancer, would find this an important and helpful book.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Capelli Dangeli Pr (February 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971673705
• ISBN-13: 978-0971673700
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,502,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I wrote "About My Hair : A Journey to Recovery" after my second cancer in 1998. In 1988 I had rectal cancer with surgery, radiation and chemo, but didn't lose my hair. By 1994, instead of working full time as the scientist I had earned advanced degrees at two universities to become, I got my tax id # and as MRM Photography started working as a "Professional Fine Art Photographer". The business didn't make much money, but helped to pay my expenses and let me show my work periodically. When I learned I was going to lose my hair from the chemotherapy I would need to start in 1999, I decided to photograph myself as I went through the process, using my favorite film: black and white infrared, a film that softens the lines and gives an ethereal quality to an image - perfect for someone who wasn't sure what she was going to look like! A year later I brought my images to a women's photography workshop in Santa Fe. The other participants told me I should write a book to go with them to help other women facing chemo. I still have the book I wrote during my rectal cancer, but never published. I decided this time to get it out - I put my images to words and they became a book. With a little help from a lot of people, I finally went to Canada to see the "About My Hair" come off the presses. The main focus of the book is as more about a way of thinking and seeing the world than it is about a type of cancer. I found recently, after being in a near-fatal car accident that I could use my art in any situation. Making art in my room at the Rehabilitation Facility helped me forget my problems, just as it had during my cancer treatment.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is it about hair?, September 11, 2002

By 

Doug Dix (Hartford, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: About My Hair: A Journey to Recovery (Paperback)

Marcia says her book is about her hair, and, in a small way, she is right. She had hair and then lost it to chemotherapy. But the chemo killed her cancer and, in time, she got her hair back. This book documents that loss and recovery. But Marcia is overly modest. This book is not about her hair, but about her spirit. She fought uterine cancer and won. And along the way she fought and won against fear, grief, pain, embarrassment, and foes I can't even imagine.
What Marcia doesn't say - what she may not acknowledge even to herself - is precisely what makes her book important. No reader can fail to catch it. My job as reviewer is to make it explicit for those who haven't read her book, for those who are wondering if they should read it. Here it is: Marcia is a champion at coping and her book offers instruction and inspiration to all who face foes or worry that they might have to in the future.
"Some days I felt as though I just wanted to sit around and do nothing. I didn't allow that feeling to last long. The worst thing, for me, would be to let the cancer or the treatment take over my life. I would mentally pick myself up and go do something...I never believed in the logic of asking 'why me?' or being angry at the unfairness of life....better get on with life."
Cancer took Marcia's hair and her uterus and ovaries and her energy and physical strength and a good bit of her joy of life, but it never dented her spirit. When cruel death came to look Marcia in the face, she chose to be creative.
"I made a conscious effort to keep up with my art. Sometimes I had to give myself a mental push. It would have been easy to use my illness as an excuse to be a lump... I needed something to think about besides my various doctor and hospital visits."
Marcia's words and photos are interesting, provocative, beautiful, and optimistic. They tell of a spirit that isn't vulnerable to death and they give us reason to believe that we all share in that spirit. There's one more point - Marcia's book is about her husband - his love for her and her quiet gratitude for him. It's a small part of her small book and rather matter of fact, not sentimental, but eloquent in its testimony to the role of love in sustaining spirit and vice versa. There's even a hint that the two may not be different.
Read this book. You'll finish it in a half hour and remember it for a lifetime. It's not about hair.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for all whose lives have been affected by cancer, July 9, 2002

By 

"gabriellem" (Burlington, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: About My Hair: A Journey to Recovery (Paperback)

"About My Hair" is a poignant and well told story with incredible photgraphs to aid in YOUR journey into Marcia Reid Marsted's life and her bout with cancer. It is a very personal work of art which chronicles so much of what one must go through when faced with the disease. I believe that it is a "must-read" for all cancer patients and their families and friends as well as members of the medical profession who are charged with healing and supporting their patients through some of the most difficult times of their lives. I also feel that this book is helpful to anyone who is concerned about themselves and others. There is much insight related to taking care of oneself and trusting your instincts when it comes to your own body. In her honesty, the author also helps us to maintain a positive attitude and appreciate the little things in life that we all sometimes take for granted.I have incredible respect and admiration for Ms. Marsted and appreciate her willingness to share such a personal story with us.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About My Hair - An Artistic Response to Cancer, February 20, 2003

By 

Diane (Newton, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: About My Hair: A Journey to Recovery (Paperback)

Marcia Reid Marsted's sensitive account of her second cancer is beautifully illustrated with her soft-focus photographs, an artistic process she chose to support herself through her healing. This is a candid portrayal of one woman's experience as she courageously faces her illness. "I had life on my mind," she states as she moves forward. Written in sparse prose of poetic quality, the vignettes connect to complete a story of dignity and hope. Comments by the author's husband add perspective to the narrative. This book is important reading for everyone, especially those with cancer and their partners, families and friends and people working in the medical profession. Resources at the end of the book provide vital information for all.