Dear Oprah: How I Beat Cancer and Learned to Love Daytime TV

Dear Oprah: How I Beat Cancer and Learned to Love Daytime TV is the tale of a battle with an unusual cancer. Told with snarky humor and pathos, this is the story of an interrupted life and the struggle back. There’s never a good time to get cancer but Wendy wrote this book to explore all areas of the cancer experience, including how to survive, how to recover, and how caregivers and friends can support their loved ones. Wendy was diagnosed with rectal cancer just as her career was accelerating, her son was finishing his last year at college and her daughter was planning a wedding. Trapped at home during the daytime for the first time in her life, she learned to appreciate daytime TV talk shows, the wild lives of celebrities and also learned how to slow down and enjoy life. There is no five year plan. No ten year plan. There is only today and it is Wendy’s goal to make the best of every day. With the help of her mother, her husband, her family and friends, Wendy was able to beat cancer and overcome the depression that threatened to overwhelm her. This book offers specific advice including information on treatment, the medical system, recovery and help for caregivers. It includes Web sites and specific information for anyone suffering from cancer, but particularly for those who battle colorectal cancer. This book contains strong language and sarcastoc humor. It is not meant for the faint of heart. If you liked the movie 50/50 and the television show The Big C, you’ll enjoy this memoir. Wendy Thornton is a prize-winning freelance writer in Gainesville, Florida. She has been published in literary magazines and journals across the United States, and in England, Scotland and India. She is currently at work on a novel about the Seminole chief Osceola, and a memoir about music, Sounding the Depths.