Customer Reviews

When Your Doctor Has Bad News: Simple Steps to Strength, Healing, and Hope

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a great step by step guide to spiritually dealing with cancer, but can relate to any bad news. The author is very sincere and shares real life experiences with the reader. At the end of the book I felt strong and not alone. I wish their were more doctors with Dr. Weir's faith and compassion.

This book is full of encouraging information for all readers who have had some distressing news or simply discouraged with life's challenges. It is very easy to read and is captivating. Dr. Weir has sprinkled the book with personal examples giving us a glimpse into his personal life and his passionate love for Jesus. I'm a physician and I have given this book to patients in distress. I encourage even healthy individuals to read it in order to be better prepared for crisis.....J.E.Maniscalco, M.D.

I purchased this book for my sister who has ovarian cancer but in reading it, I think I received the most from it. Dr. Weir was my husband's doctor and I saw him live out his faith not just talk about it. My husband died in 1998 from leukemia and Dr. Weir was always very honest with us along with the assurance that he was going to a better place than this old wicked world.

This is the second book I purchased for a friend who received very bad news on her health. Before I gave it to her though, I had to glance through it and thought about getting myself a copy of this book for future reference in case I ever need it. We all at some point will receive bad news regarding our health and I would recommend having this as part of one's personal 'encouragement' library section. Excellent book!

Cynthia Siegfried "[...]"

Since my husband was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer in 2002, I have read at least fifty books to help me through the ordeal. Dr. Weir's book is one of the best. What I found most helpful is that Dr. Weir avoids platitudes like, "You just need to have faith." Instead he tells us how to actually find that faith when God seems to be very far away.

He uses real examples from his own family health health crises and from those of his oncology patients. The stories are inspirational and encouraging. He doesn't pussy foot around the possibility of death but rather tells us how to face it with hope and courage.

My strongest endorsement: In 2003 we founded a suport group, f.a.i.t.H, facing an illness through Him. We give this book to each new member.

I begin Radiation Therapy tomorrow. After suffering a heart attack a year and a half ago, I had to wait a year to find out that I also have cancer. I went looking for support groups on the internet and stumbled on this book. It has been a Godsend.

It has helped me to gain perspective once more and see beyond my own situation. I recommend it to anyone feeling overwhelmed by health issues. As well as comfort, it is full of great advice and encouraging stories of others who have struggled before us. Thank you Dr. Weir!

A friend gave me this book when I was diagnosed with cancer three years ago. It saved my life emotionally. I now give it to friends who have been diagnosed. I can't sing its praises enough.

This book is laid out in 18 easy to read and somewhat brief chapters. The author weaves beautifully the personal stories, anecdotes from his own medical practice, mission work and personal life throughout to engage the reader and provide examples of how people from very different walks of life have dealt with a life-altering medical diagnosis. In this, I believe that the reader will perhaps see a little of himself or herself in the pages of the book. Another great feature of this book is the open ended questions for the reader to consider, providing a spring board for self-reflection and discussion.

Dr. Weir provides some very practical advice such as the discussion in Chapter 3, "Choose the Best Science," and in a section of Chapter 5 sub-titled "Face the Future with Understanding," where he lays out some very practical questions and steps to take with your medical care team. More guidance like this can be found in Chapter 7, "Choose the Right Battle Plan."

Beyond the practical advice I am very glad to see that Dr. Weir references and directs the reader to Scripture, pointing beyond human wisdom to that of our Divine Creator. I am also very glad to see that he addresses some difficult issues and does not shy away from discussing sin in our life that adversely affects us and causes one, if they are honest with themselves, to reflect on their standing with God.

Overall, I think that this book is a good resource and may prove to be helpful to those facing a life-altering diagnosis from a doctor, and for their loved ones. I do, however, have a few significant concerns with some of the material presented and would like to raise those concerns here:

1. While prayer is indeed powerful and an important aspect of the Christian life, I firmly believe that obedience to God's Word and understanding Scripture in its proper context is paramount over prayer. Dr. Weir, perhaps not intentionally, encourages the reader to pray THEN to seek out Scripture. Instead, our foundation for prayer and for life as Christians ought to be solidly on God's Word first.

2. Dr. Weir encourages one to rest in God, to rest in silence and stillness, which undoubtedly comes from contemplative spiritual practices devised by man rather than directed by God in His Word, so I would caution the reader in this regard. (Note that these practices are sometimes called mystical practices or popularized today in seminaries and Bible studies as Spiritual Disciplines.)

3. Another concerning point throughout the book is the mention every so often about "hearing God's voice" or "listening for the voice of God," which is an increasingly popular theme in Christian circles. The author even includes a "practical" step in the Chapter titled "Choose Mission" to direct the reader to "Listen for the Whisper [of God]."

Recently a close loved one of mine was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and I came across this book at a local Christian book store. While I still have some reservations in regard to a few details of the book, I would recommend it to someone facing illness, provided that they are reminded to be like the Bereans mentioned in Acts 17:11:
"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."