Cocoon of Cancer: An Invitation to Love Deeply

"Unknowingly, the authors were able to capitalize on a similar idea stretching back to... 84 Charing Cross Rd by Helene Hanff which] uses old-fashioned pen and post as she shares the pen-pal exchanges between her adolescent self and a peer in the United Kingdom during wartime. Today's Cocoon evokes the same intimacy of interchange, recording the candid tenderness and fears that surface for Abbe and Jim with their family and friends." - Stewart Fleishman, M.D., Founding Director of Cancer Support Systems of NY and author of Learn to Live Through Cancer: What You Need to Know and Do

Love and intimacy inspire this book as well as inform those diagnosed with cancer, their caregivers, families, and staff. The essays and poems reflect an attitude of wonder, defiance, acceptance, and beauty through the painful journey.

Sometimes raw, the letters to friends voice the unspeakable. The scientific tone of Jim, the patient, comes through when he has the energy to speak. His wife and caregiver, Abbe, witnesses and documents the signs of distress, gains, losses, and the new equilibrium that forges deep love.

More than anything, this is an invitation to feel and find comfort.

"Caregiver Tips", "Questions I Still Ponder", and "Questions for the Reader to Ponder" are included at the end of the manuscript.

"As an author, Abbe's skill for writing brings a cluster of sunshine through the dim of darkness. As a true life event, it's a very educational and inspiring tale.... I'm sure it had to be one of the most difficult challenges (a family experiences) day in and out, and this author has done a superb job in giving her readers the real deal behind the journey." - Nina, Goodreads

"Cocoon of Cancer is a poetic, poignant, and scientifically accurate memoir. Abbe's Care Giver's Tips add insights to those who will identify with similar thoughts and feelings." - Dr. Fred Appelbaum, President, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

"Enlightening.... I highly recommend this book for patients and families undergoing the sometimes confusing, often fearful, and yes, at times even joyful, process of cancer care." - Dr. Mathey, Oncologist & Hemotologist, Skagit Regional Cancer

"A positive, perceptive primer for cancer patients and caregivers." - Kirkus Reviews

Author: Abbe Rolnick, Jim Wiggins
Publisher: Sedro Publishing
Published: 03/31/2016
Pages: 118
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.30lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.00w x 0.28d
ISBN13: 9780984511938
ISBN10: 0984511938
BISAC Categories:
- Health & Fitness | Diseases & Conditions | Cancer
- Body, Mind & Spirit | Healing | General
- Body, Mind & Spirit | Inspiration & Personal Growth

About the Author
Abbe Rolnick grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland. Her first major cultural jolt occurred at age 15 when her family moved to Miami Beach, Florida. To find perspective, she climbed the only non-palm tree at her condo complex and wrote what she observed. History came alive with her exposure to Cuban culture. After attending Boston University, she lived in Puerto Rico, where she owned a bookstore.

River of Angels flows from her experiences in Puerto Rico and is the first novel in her Generations of Secrets series. She continues with Color of Lies, bringing the reader to the Pacific Northwest where she presently resides. Here she blends stories from island life with characters in Skagit Valley. The third in the series, Founding Stones was recently published and continues with characters from her two previous novels. Her readers describe the series as "deep and meaningful," with "complex relationships" that "transport you to a different place" with "a plot worthy of the cedar-scented NW atmosphere."

Her recent experiences with her husband's cancer inspired Cocoon of Cancer: An Invitation to Love Deeply, a love story that shares intimate tips for caregivers and family. Tattle Tales: Essays and Stories Along the Way is a compilation of twenty years of writing. These two books show a "skill for writing that brings a cluster of sunshine through the dim of darkness," where "you can feel the author's presence."

An avid world traveler, Abbe can be found with her husband Jim in Africa, Southeast Asia, South America, Sri Lanka, the Middle East, and other exotic countries when they aren't at their home amid twenty acres in Skagit Valley, Washington, or visiting with her grown children and grandkids.

To learn more about her writings, Abbe's Notes and Abbe's Ruminations, visit her website, www.abberolnick.com. Abbe welcomes questions and requests for speaking engagements, and would love to hear from you.