Chicken Soup for the Cancer Survivor's Soul Read Free

but nonetheless grateful for the many hearts and hands that made this book possible. Thank you all for your vision, your caring, your commitment and your actions.
    T he stories people tell have a way of taking care of them.... Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive.
    Barry Lopez
    From our hearts to yours, we are delighted to offer you Chicken Soup for the Cancer Survivor’s Soul. This book contains over 100 stories that we know will encourage you to have more hope, empower you to take charge of your life and your healing process, inspire you to give and receive more unconditional love, motivate you to fight and persevere in the face of what may seem to be insurmountable obstacles and odds, invite you to share your feelings, persuade you to reach out for and accept more support, and finally, convince you to live each day more fully and with more humor as you pursue your heartfelt dreams with more conviction. This book will sustain you in times of frustration and challenge, and comfort you in times of pain and suffering. If you let it, Chicken Soup for the Cancer Survivor’s Soul will truly be a lifetime companion, offering insight, wisdom and guidance on many areas of your recovery and your life.
    During this very challenging time in my life battling cancer,I truly appreciate being able to turn to Chicken Soup for the Soul for strength and peace.
    Paul
    Why This Book?
    In January 1995, Nancy and Patty’s mother, Linda Mitchell, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Because we have been writing and compiling Chicken Soup for the Soul books for the last five years, she suggested that we compile a book with stories from those who have been touched by cancer. At first, the project took off very slowly and we wondered if we would ever complete it. As cancer survivors and their family members began sending us stories of their experiences, and our reading and research on cancer continued, we realized we would finish it and that it would be a great book. But we also realized something else.
    When the idea of this book was born, it was about surviving cancer, but as it took shape, we realized that it was really a book about life. In fact, eight million cancer survivors out there have discovered things about life that most of the rest of us have not yet learned. As we continued working on the book, we realized that each story was teaching us what was really important in life. As a result, we deepened our appreciation for the simple things in life—watching the changing hues and colors of the morning sunrise, taking a walk along the beach, listening to music, drinking a glass of fresh squeezed fruit juice, playing with our children and hugging our loved ones. Our families and the love we all share with each other became more and more important to all of us.
    At least once a day we sit back and say, “We are so lucky.” Because of this book we are not the same people we were. Our priorities are clearer now. We share our feelings more openly, we take our vitamins and herbs more regularly, we eat better, we meditate and do yoga more often, we pray with more conviction and we love with more openness. Our daily disciplines are stronger, our co–dependent behaviors are weaker and our desires to follow our own inner directives are stronger. We laugh more often, take more time for play, worry less about pleasing others and know more clearly than ever that each day is a treasured gift to be lived to the fullest.
    Chicken Soup for the Soul reawakened me to the fact that life is really too short to hide, it’s meant to be lived!
    Rita Valdez
    We thank all of you who have been challenged by cancer because your struggles and insights have deepened our own understandings about life, love and spirituality. We also trust that readers will have the same experience we had as we created this book. We know from sharing the first drafts of this book with many cancer patients, survivors, family members and caregivers that this book