When Your Life Is Touched by Cancer: Practical Advice and Insights for Patients, Professionals, and Those Who Care
"Riter's book of valuable, compassionate advice focuses on making the cancer journey as good as it can be.  His thoughtful communication strategies for patients, families, friends, and professionals are practical; his insights from various perspectives, vital. I recommend it highly for patient education centers and for public, health, and hospital libraries."-Candace Ford Gray, Executive Director, PlaneTree Health Library"Riter's uniquely smart-but-folksy voice works well when tackling straightforward issues like blood donations or complex, existential issues like the nature of hope after cancer. . . .If you are looking for a gift to give people whose lives are touched by cancer, When Your Life is Touched by Cancer is just what the doctor ordered."- Dr. Wendy Harpham, M.D., cancer survivor, and author ofWhen a Parent Has Cancer: A Guide to Caring for Your ChildrenThe writing distills the author's personal experiences as a cancer   survivor who, as the director of a cancer resource center, has also   listened to hundreds of other survivors tell their stories. The book is   stripped bare of thudding statistics and academic jargon, situating us   in the realm of everyday language where most of us actually live. And  it  captures the reality of a complex and varied illness experience with   compassionate good humor.-Dr. Kate Scannell, Bay Area News Group."...Riter's advice is, in many cases, refreshingly different. For example, in response to well-wishers' exhortations to "be positive," he admits: "I cringe whenever I hear those words." ...These brief passages are of an appropriate length for stressed or fatigued cancer patients and those surrounding them. They convey the right mixture of hope and realism with the welcome addition of humor."-Publisher's WeeklyThis book offers a wonderful sense of community that comes from connecting with an empathetic fellow cancer survivor who "knows the ropes" and is graciously willing to share what he has learned along the way to help you avoid the pitfalls that lie ahead. In the final analysis,When Your Life is Touched by Canceris a 132 page cancer support group between two soft covers.-- Alysa Cummings, cancer survivor and author ofGreetings From Cancerland