The Roller Coaster Chronicles [Paperback]

Betsy de Parry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 21, 2005

Based on the journal the author kept during her illness, this beautifully written book is a goldmine of insight into the experience of illness and the process of recovery. Both humorously and compassionately, Betsy reveals the impact that cancer had on her husband, her family, her friends and her own self-identity. With unflinching honesty, she shares intimate glimpses into her struggle with mortality and the steps she took to emerge whole from the struggle. Patients will find comfort, inspiration and hope as well as valuable suggestions about how to cope with the myriad of emotions that follow a cancer diagnosis, how to recover emotionally when treatment has ended, and how to enhance their relationships with their medical teams. Betsy's husband also shares his own feelings of helplessness and lonliness, and caregivers will learn how he managed to support her in ways that ultimately strengthened their marriage. For all who are touched by life-threatening illness, this enthralling narrative will hold your attention from beginning to end.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A must-read for fellow patients. --Geraldine Ferraro, Candidate for Vice-President of the United States of America

The book is rich with humor and razor sharp text and will be a great inspiration for patients and families. --Joseph Himle, Ph.D., University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry

Betsy consistently bares her soul with an extraordinary blend of humor, keen insight, brutal honesty and compassion for all involved. --Thomas Fluent, M.D., University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry

About the Author

Diagnosed with lymphoma in 2002, the author underwent two types of chemo which deprived her of her hair and sent her to the hospital with numerous complications but failed to stop the disease. She was ultimately rescued by a new, targeted treatment and remains in complete remission. She lives and works with her husband Alex in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 243 pages
• Publisher: First Page Publications (January 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1928623514
• ISBN-13: 978-1928623519
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,773,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Aging > Cancer > Lymphatic

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Memoir, October 19, 2005

By 

Anita (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Roller Coaster Chronicles (Paperback)

I couldn't put this book down until I was finished. I found myself laughing and crying and identifying with so many of the same feelings the author had. This book is sure to be a great source of encouragement and inspiration to patients as well as to their family and friends. It was also interesting to read about treatment at a major research facility (Michigan) and to "meet" some of the people who develop new treatments.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read, October 12, 2005

By 

Claire "Claire" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Roller Coaster Chronicles (Paperback)

If this were fiction, it would be an excellent story. The fact that it's true makes it all the more compelling. If your life has ever been touched by cancer in any way, you will laugh and cry through this book and find a great deal of support and encouragement. This is one of the best memoirs I have read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read for Cancer Patients and Their Families, December 23, 2009

By 

F. Blankley (MN) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Roller Coaster Chronicles (Paperback)

I chose this book because of an excerpt I'd read in Jamie Reno's "Hope Begins in the Dark," in particular because Betsy deParry used her cancer journal as a framework for her book. As a three-time lymphoma survivor myself, I am currently developing the journals I kept into a book about my own experiences with lymphoma. As I read deParry's book, I often found myself transported back to my own experiences, medical as well as emotional, and I strongly recommend it for current cancer patients and those who care for them. The story covers a full year in her life, but the relatively short chapters make allow the reader to take in the sometimes overwhelming details at a comfortable pace. In addition, deParry's wry sense of humor lends some comic relief to her life-threatening and life-changing experience.