Busting Loose: Cancer Survivors Tell You What Your Doctor Won't [Paperback]

Cheryl Swanson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 14, 2009 | ISBN-10: 1934841749 | ISBN-13: 978-1934841747 | Edition: 1

Cheryl Swanson was inspired to write Busting Loose when a confluence of events had her undergoing treatment for breast cancer, adopting a child from Guatemala and writing her first suspense novel—all at the same time. More than a quarter-million women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year in the United States. Many of these women will succumb to the passive role of a medical victim, not realizing that alone might kill them.

Busting Loose shows women how they can use the light of their cancer experience to reveal the path to climb the mountains in their lives. It explains how to deal with fear in a positive way. Most of all, it encourages women to never let their diagnosis limit them and to get back quickly to what ignites their passions and brings them balance and peace.

Product Details

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: Zumaya Publications, LLC; 1 edition (October 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934841749
• ISBN-13: 978-1934841747
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,471,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Helpful Book on Breast Cancer, Bar None, January 6, 2010

By 

Jane Phillips "cancer survivor, mom and realist" (New York) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Busting Loose: Cancer Survivors Tell You What Your Doctor Won't (Paperback)

This book hit me like a bombshell. When I was diagnosed, so many things were overwhelming. I now feel like I can cope.

Briefly, in addition to cancer, you have to deal with an information overload that is unbelievable. You have to sift through all that information and make huge decisions, decisions that could radically alter your future. And you can't give the responsibility to your doctors--not unless you really don't care if you keep your breasts, or even keep on living. Deep down, I was completely terrified and at a loss how to help myself. I virtually gave up because the doctors didn't seem to care.

The book showed me how to take control, get answers to my questions, force the hospital to schedule tests and surgrey rapidly. (I even browbeat my insurers into paying for a procedure they had refused to cover. Yes!) After I got through all that, then there was dealing with work problems, family relationships, chemo, radiation, sex...you can't believe the things this disease effects.

Some of the chapters in Busting Loose I felt I could have written myself becuase they were so close to my experience. The book tells the story of the author's battle not to let cancer become a roadblock. In her case she went right ahead with her dreams, adopting a child and becoming a suspense novelist. In my life, I had to decide about buying a new home and quitting my job. You want inspiration, you'll find it here. I recommend this book to all women recently diagnosed, as well as any surivovr interested in staying healthy and finding in the disease a motivator. I love that saying: Don't waste a good crisis! The book will help you make sure you don't waste the crisis of cancer. You're going to find information you won't read anywhere else.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Busting Through Cancer, December 12, 2009

By 

C. Burns (Kauai, HI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Busting Loose: Cancer Survivors Tell You What Your Doctor Won't (Paperback)

As a breast cancer survivor, I identified with the author's devastation upon hearing her diagnosis, the maze of medical treatment she encountered, and the renewed zest for life she now has. Cheryl Swanson's book is a quick read and packed full of useful information. Her style is fresh and witty, and the short chapters make an easy read, especially for those presently enduring cancer treatment.

I highly recommend "Busting Loose" for both patients and caregivers. While many cancer reference books are packed with medical terms for professionals, this book provides the same useful information in layman's terms. It belongs on every cancer patient's bookshelf!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerfully Written Action Guide, November 16, 2009

By 

Nicole Whittaker "Nicole Whittaker" (Boston, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Busting Loose: Cancer Survivors Tell You What Your Doctor Won't (Paperback)

I found this book hugely informative, but mostly I loved it because it was so powerfully written. I couldn't stop reading. I found myself crying in a few places, next moment I was laughing my head off.

I'm a nurse practitioner and work with a lot of people touched by cancer. The book is broken into 80 plus short chapters, each starting with a quotation. It is a great action-guide for both patients and their support team. Along with the stories, it gives lots of succinct, helpful tips about everything from diet and exercise to finding a great doctor to handling chemotherapy to becoming a mother after cancer. To be frank, most of the cancer survivor guides I've read are all foam, no beer. Not this one...it's more than a fun-read, it's thought-provoking and full of hard to find information.