The Breast Cancer Book of Strength & Courage

The Breast Cancer Book of Strength and Courage: Inspiring Stories to See You Through Your Journey, by Dr. Ernie Bodai and Judie Panneton

Perhaps you or a loved one has recently heard the words, “You have breast cancer.” Now what? How can you turn these fearful words into the first step on a journey of strength and healing? You’ll discover that these words are more powerful than you think. So powerful that they can help you uncover a level of bravery and fortitude you might not feel is possible right now—one that lies deep within you, ready to emerge, ready to fight. You can transform your feelings of dread and despair into triumph. Inside, you’ll discover intimate first-person accounts of breast cancer survivors, women who confronted their diagnosis, clutched the thoughts, hopes, and encouragement already present in their daily lives, and embraced new ideas and old passions that helped sustain them during their struggle to restore their health. These touching personal stories are told by special women who dug a little deeper to climb the biggest mountain of all. Their reassuring words are like having a welcome friend come to you in a moment of need—an invaluable source of strength, wisdom, love, and laughter. Page after page, you’ll learn not only how to survive, but also how to forge a powerful and positive mental attitude.

About the authors

Ernie Bodai, M.D. was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1951. He and his family lived in a bomb shelter for nearly a year, before they managed to escape during the Hungarian Revolution in 1957. Following immigration to the United States, Dr. Bodai received his B.A and M.S. degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles. He received his M.D. degree from the University of California, Davis in 1977, where he currently serves as Clinical Professor of Surgery. He has authored over 250 medical articles and has published 5 books, 4 of which focus on cancer. After treating thousands of patients with breast cancer he became frustrated at the pace of funding for research. In a remarkable one-man lobbying effort he was able to convince Congress and the U.S. Postal Service to issue the Breast Cancer Research Stamp — the first ever stamp in U.S. history that sells at more than face value (45 cents) with the surplus amount donated directly to breast cancer research. Over 800 million stamps have been sold raising over $60 million for crucial research.

Judie Fertig Panneton is published author and an award-winning journalist with more than 30 years experience in newspapers, magazines, television and radio. She is a first-generation American. Her father was born in Holland; her mother in Poland.

True Simple Poems of Life, Faith and Survival

True Simple Poems of Life, Faith and Survival, by Karen Rice

This book chronicles an individual’s true life experiences during her journey of many trials and tribulations. With the words and phrases of each poem of statements, she wishes to make a positive impact on someone who’s ill or otherwise, where they can proceed with life in a whole new way.

About the author

Karen Rice’s bio, in her own words: “Born in Houston, Texas, I was the seventh child growing up in a very large family. Even with so many around, I always found a way to sneak a little time for myself in a hide-away space to dream. I grew up in the church, as my father was a Baptist minister. While in high school, my life was all planned out by becoming a model/actress, and I worked at it, while also working at other jobs to raise my child alone after a broken marriage. Later in life I had a head-on-collision with breast cancer and it changed my entire outlook on life. Through my tragedy and all that I’ve had to endure, it became an awakening for me, where I received all the strength and encouragement to write down my thoughts to share with others. My life was hit with cancer not one time, but twice now; but it won’t stop me from striving to place positive outlooks for myself, as well as others, for the rest of my life.”