Title: Mom...It's Cancer: They all said she was much too young. They were all very wrong.
Author: Debbie Legault
Genre: Cancer Memoir, Motherhood, Nonfiction
Book Blurb:
Dear concerned reader: This story has a happy (so far) ending.
Mom...It's Cancer is the tale of a mother's sixteen-month journey supporting her 27-year-old daughter through breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. It is a raw, real and sometimes funny account of how the two women experienced and managed their day-to-day existence as they navigated the unknown. When the author would look around waiting rooms, she would see no one who looked like her, the one holding the purse and keys and water bottle while her child was poked and prodded. There are things that are very different for young women with a breast cancer diagnosis and there weren’t a lot of places for this mother or daughter to learn about them ahead of time so they'd know what to expect. By sharing her story the author hopes to provide a practical and emotional roadmap for mothers who hear this life-changing, devastating news when their child is "much too young", and a tool for everyone in their lives to use in trying to provide support when they are feeling lost. Most of all "Mom...It's Cancer" it is a story of a love and courage in the face of deepest despair.
My Review:
Debbie Legault is the mother of three daughters and when she receives a phone call from her middle daughter, Adrienne, the bottom drops out. “Mom, it’s cancer.” At the age of 27, Adrienne has triple positive breast cancer. Debbie drops everything and moves to Ontario to walk/run/crawl with her daughter through the war zone known as cancer. Fiery pits of hellish torture no human should ever have to go through, these brave women not only embrace it but survive with fists in the air.
“Cancer changes people and cancer also changes the people supporting the people who have cancer.” – Debbie Legault
In order to cope with everything, Debbie wrote down her innermost thoughts and feelings. The result is this book. Sometimes raw, sometimes painful, but 100% truthful, this is the story of a mother/daughter team who refused to give up.
Mom… It’s Cancer is an honest book about cancer. If you think getting cancer is a walk in the park, you need to read this book. If a loved one is suffering from cancer or just diagnosed, you need to read this book. If you’re a cancer survivor, you’ll relate to everything talked about in this book. The raw emotion comes across so well, I applaud the author for sharing her journey. My heart went out to her and Adrienne so many times, I hugged my tablet to my chest and cried. This book changed my life and I recommend it to everyone. A must-read!
My Rating: 5+ stars
Buy it Now:
The author is donating the proceeds of all Canadian sales to Rethink Breast Cancer, an organization that provides support to young women diagnosed with breast cancer. They have been a godsend to Debbie’s daughter.
Giveaway: I’m one of the authors participating in the Spooky Halloween Bookish Giveaway and you can win a print copy of Mom…It’s Cancer by Debbie Legault (US/Canada only). https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/92db775079 Runs October 1 - 31 and is open internationally for most prizes. Winners will be drawn on November 2, 2020.
Author Biography:
Mother...Grandmother...Librarian...Military Spouse...Caregiver...Family Life Educator...take your pick! Debbie Legault was born in British Columbia, Canada to a former RCAF airman father and a Scottish War Bride mother and has lived in other Canadian provinces, Germany and California. She has been married for 36 years to a Canadian Air Force Veteran and credits that choice with filling her life with adventure. When Debbie Legault’s children look at family photos they often comment on how many different hairstyles she has had and that pretty much is her story, that her life has taken as many turns and led her down as many paths as her hair has changed. Her latest role is as the author of Mom...It's Cancer, the story of supporting her 27-year-old daughter as they experienced breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Social Media Links:
Reviewed by: Mrs. N