How I Lost My Uterus and Found My Voice

How I Lost My Uterus and Found My Voice
Author: Michelle L. Whitlock
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2015-08-31
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1491771461

At age twenty-six, author Michelle L. Whitlock thought she had it all: her health, a promising career, and a budding new romance. Then she learned that she had HPV, and weeks later her worst nightmare became her reality: she was diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer. Adamant to preserve her fertility, she refused a radical hysterectomy and chose a less extreme, fertility-saving procedure. The surgery was a success, but just years later-a week after the love of her life proposed-Michelle discovered her cancer was back. In this memoir, Michelle narrates her journey through and beyond cancer. She took charge of her health care by carefully choosing doctors and her treatment options. In just eight short weeks, she planned a destination wedding, harvested eggs, and with her fianc, created embryos-their "maybe babies." She got married and ten days later underwent a radical hysterectomy, followed by chemotherapy and radiation. At twenty-nine, Michelle found herself with a new normal, which included menopause, hot flashes, a shortened vagina, and lack of sexual desire. She opens the door to her most intimate moments, frankly sharing how she worked to regain her sex life and providing other women in this situation a roadmap to do the same. This is one woman's story of falling in love, battling HPV and cervical cancer, facing sexual dysfunction and infertility, and becoming her own best advocate. Inspirational, educational and honest, How I Lost My Uterus and Found My Voice tells the emotional story of love and loss, resilience and survival, empowerment and hope for the future. So if you have a vagina or love someone with a vagina, this book is for you! "Michelle Whitlock takes readers through a journey of loss and love and ends up giving a blueprint on how to make a comeback. How I Lost My Uterus and Found My Voice will make you laugh and cry and leave you wanting more. There will be no pages left unturned in this deeply personal memoir. This book isn't just for those who have survived cancer-it's for the masses. How I Lost My Uterus and Found My Voice is a thrilling look at life." -Tamika Felder, founder of Cervivor.org

How I Lost My Uterus and Found My Voice

How I Lost My Uterus and Found My Voice
Author: Michelle L. Whitlock
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 205
Release: 2011-12
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1462070566

At age twenty-six, author Michelle L. Whitlock thought she had it all: she was in the best physical shape of her life, she had a promising career, and she had a budding romance that looked like it could finally be the real thing. Then doctors informed her that she had HPV. Weeks later her worse nightmare became her reality: she was diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer. In this memoir, Whitlock narrates the story of her ordeal. She tells how she took charge of her healthcare and pursued an experimental surgery that treated the cancer while preserving her fertility. The surgery was a success, but just years later a week after the love of her life proposed Whitlock discovered her cancer was back. How I Lost My Uterus and Found My Voice follows Whitlock as she wonders if she will live or die, have children, or enjoy sex again. This is one woman's story of falling in love, battling HPV and cervical cancer, facing sexual dysfunction, confronting her conflicting feelings about motherhood, and becoming her own best advocate. Inspirational and honest, this memoir tells the emotional story of love, loss, resilience, and survival.

Reimagining Women's Cancers

Reimagining Women's Cancers
Author: Michele Berman
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2016-09-27
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 0757319548

America's fascination with celebrities never gets old. From People magazine, with a readership of 43 million to Internet sites like JustJared.com with over 80 million monthly views, celebrity information not only sells, it educates people about important issues––including cancer. Information is empowering and reading about a famous person coping with cancer can not only be inspiring, it can save a life. That's what Reimagining Cancer exemplifies through each of the books in the series Cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence. About half of all cancers are preventable and can be avoided if current medical knowledge is better delivered*. This new series, beginning with Reimagining Women's Cancers—focusing on cancer of the breasts, ovaries, uterus, cervix, vagina and vulva—provides readers with that critical information to help them manage, cope, and recover through a concise, easy-to-read style and format. Beginning with a view of basic anatomy and an overview of how we view a particular cancer today, chapters flow easily into an explanation of signs, symptoms, diagnosis, scientific information and guidelines, and include a comprehensive survey of treatments and prevention. Woven throughout are stories, both medical and anecdotal, from women such as Angelina Jolie, Joan Lunden, Melissa Etheridge, Sandra Lee, Rita Wilson, Christina Applegate, and Suzanne Somers. Education is the key, and by using celebrity stories, Reimagining Women's Cancers can attract countless readers who might otherwise not pay attention to an epidemic that is likely to affect them or a loved one. * The recent World Cancer Report from the World Health Organization

Being Single, with Cancer

Being Single, with Cancer
Author: Tracy Maxwell
Publisher: Demos Medical Publishing
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2014-08-11
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 1617051373

Filled with practical tips, resources and personal stories, an empowering and candid guide to dealing with cancer as a single person/p> Diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer seven years ago, Tracy Maxwell understands the unique swirl of hopes and fears, insecurities and triumphs of a single person with cancer. In Being Single, with Cancer, she combines her experience, other survivorsí personal stories, results of a survey of over 100 survivors, and advice from experts to help you navigate through each stage of your journey from diagnosis through treatment and beyond. Maxwell shows you how to: Get the support you need Be your own advocate Manage the emotional impacts, including loneliness, stress, and negative thinking Address dating, sex, relationship and fertility issues And much more With honesty, humor, and hope, Being Single, with Cancer is a valuable reminder that you may be single, but you are not alone.

Ask Me About My Uterus

Ask Me About My Uterus
Author: Abby Norman
Publisher: Bold Type Books
Total Pages: 312
Release: 2018-03-06
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1568585829

For any woman who has experienced illness, chronic pain, or endometriosis comes an inspiring memoir advocating for recognition of women's health issues In the fall of 2010, Abby Norman's strong dancer's body dropped forty pounds and gray hairs began to sprout from her temples. She was repeatedly hospitalized in excruciating pain, but the doctors insisted it was a urinary tract infection and sent her home with antibiotics. Unable to get out of bed, much less attend class, Norman dropped out of college and embarked on what would become a years-long journey to discover what was wrong with her. It wasn't until she took matters into her own hands -- securing a job in a hospital and educating herself over lunchtime reading in the medical library -- that she found an accurate diagnosis of endometriosis. In Ask Me About My Uterus, Norman describes what it was like to have her pain dismissed, to be told it was all in her head, only to be taken seriously when she was accompanied by a boyfriend who confirmed that her sexual performance was, indeed, compromised. Putting her own trials into a broader historical, sociocultural, and political context, Norman shows that women's bodies have long been the battleground of a never-ending war for power, control, medical knowledge, and truth. It's time to refute the belief that being a woman is a preexisting condition.