Maybe you're like me. You've had a few people in your circle of friends make The Big Announcement, "I have cancer." Maybe even someone in your family.

My first hit came when I was in 3rd grade. My 15-year-old cousin Joe had brain cancer. Joe got worse and worse and the only person he ever asked to see was me. My dad couldn't take me to see him, because in those days kids weren't allowed to visit .



I'm sure I wouldn't have known what to say. Decades later, I still find it difficiult. I've lost two ladies that were important to my life, and three others (since Joe) have endured brain tumors. I've met far more survivors.


That's why I was so grateful to hear about this book:

When Someone You Love Has Cancer

Author: Cecil Murphey

Harvest House Publishers

ISBN: 978-0-7369-2428-3

Retail: $10.99

A Word from The Man Behind the Words

When Shirley walked in from the garage, she didn't have to say a word: I read the diagnosis in her eyes. I grabbed her and held her tightly for several seconds. When I released her, she didn't cry. The unshed tears glistened, but that was all.

I felt emotionally paralyzed and helpless, and I couldn't understand my reaction. After all, I was a professional. As a former pastor and volunteer hospital chaplain I had been around many cancer patients. I'd seen people at their lowest and most vulnerable. As a writing instructor, I helped one woman write her cancer-survival book. Shirley and I had been caregivers for Shirley's older sister for months before she died of colon cancer.

All of that happened before cancer became personal to me--before my wife learned she needed a mastectomy. To make it worse, Shirley was in the high-risk category because most of her blood relatives had died of some form of cancer. Years earlier, she had jokingly said, "In our family we grow things."

In the days after the diagnosis and before her surgery, I went to a local bookstore and to the public library. I found dozens of accounts, usually by women, about their battle and survival. I pushed aside the novels that ended in a person's death. A few books contained medical or technical information. I searched on-line and garnered useful information--but I found nothing that spoke to me on how to cope with the possible loss of the person I loved most in this world.

Our story ends happily: Shirley has started her tenth year as a cancer survivor. Not only am I grateful, but I remember my pain and confusion during those days. That concerns me enough to reach out to others who also feel helpless as they watch a loved one face the serious diagnosis of cancer. That's why I wrote When Someone You Love Has Cancer. I want to encourage relatives and friends and also to offer practical suggestions as they stay at the side of those they love.

Readers of When Someone You Love Has Cancer will receive:
Inspiration to seek peace and understanding in their loved one's situation
Help in learning the importance of active listening
Guidance in exploring their own feelings of confusion and unrest
Suggestions on how to handle anxiety and apprehension
Honest answers to questions dealing with emotions, exhaustion, and helplessness
Spirit-lifting thoughts for celebrating the gift of life in the midst of troubles

Murphey explains why this is a much-needed book:

"Most books about cancer address survivors. I want to speak to the mates, families, and friends who love those with cancer. I offer a number of simple, practical things people can do for those with cancer."

TheManBehindTheWords