PRICELESS CANCER ADVICE
As I read this book, I had to pick up my jaw many times. This book emanates the author’s warrior spirit to the point of disbelief, as if watching someone stand after being buried under a mountain of ash. All the Things I Wish I Knew When I Had Cancer by Rachel Shur, owner and founder of the nonprofit organization called United Cancer Advocacy Action Network (UCAAN), is a reading experience that is so profound I struggle to describe its impact on me. Its universal message, personal story, and vital advice are so poignant, this book should be recognized as an essential resource for anyone going through cancer or for anyone who knows someone going through it. Just reading about how her cancer journey started proves the jaw-dropping effect of her personal story. The book holds Rachel’s energy for helping as many people as possible and a portion of the proceeds from the book sales go to support her nonprofit UCAAN. Buying this book is a win-win because your purchase improves UCAAN’s ability to help cancer warriors survive the dark cloud the disease casts upon their lives.
My in-depth review isn’t meant to spoil the reading experience, since it would be a disservice to the reader and author. Therefore, from what I read, it’s instantly clear there couldn’t have been a better person to start UCAAN. The introduction shows this so well, after reading it, you’ll know Ms. Shur is the perfect person to lead others in their cancer fight because she survived even though the painful journey’s start, middle, end, and after, left her changed forever; through it all, she stayed positive, survived, and became a beacon for anyone affected by cancer.
A MOTHER’S POINT OF VIEW
Cancer, like many diseases, affects the whole family. Shur uses the beginning of her book’s introduction to let her mother give a maternal perspective of this painful ordeal. As only a mother knows, she reveals Rachel was a fighter ever since being born early, with a slim chance of survival; however, Rachel’s mother was put at ease when the neonatal nurses told her that her daughter “would have survived 500 years ago because she was so strong” (1). By sharing this, Rachel’s mother, Jean Fordyce, uses the introduction to show the reader why Rachel is perfect for this role in the fight against cancer. She goes on to say about her daughter, “When her oncologist diagnosed her with terminal leukemia, I told him that she was strong and that I wanted her to have the chance to live. Her treatment was a success after a grueling two years” (1). My jaw dropped after reading that Rachel endured a horrendous two-year life and death battle. During this struggle, “Rachel encouraged other cancer patients to think positively and take good care of themselves—think Bernie Seigel, MD and his book ‘Love, Medicine, and Miracles’” (1). The last point Jean makes about her daughter builds off the previous quote by adding, “Our neighbor, Mary is alive, active and happy after she received treatment for her… leukemia thanks to Rachel’s connections. She had been put on hospice and given three weeks to live. Many other cancer patients have received a new lease on life thanks to the tireless efforts of UCAAN and Rachel Shur” (1-2). After reading this, you’ll know Rachel approaches helping cancer patients with genuine love for helping them; her intentions are pure, and that’s the best part.
RACHEL SHUR, OWNER AND FOUNDER OF UCAAN
Following the mother’s introduction, it becomes Rachel’s turn to introduce herself. She starts off with how she learned she was sick. To discover it the way she did, it seems there was some sort of cosmic intervention. She found out she had cancer at twenty-six, after a brutal car accident! She didn’t know her “body had been fighting cancer for four months or that it was rare, stage 4 terminal cancer” (3). Then it gets darker when she adds, “It wasn’t until after visiting two community hospitals that I was told I had leukemia” (3). But she admits in the next paragraph, “I have always been terrified of getting cancer since I was a little girl, especially since I lost my father to melanoma at the age of two. Like most people getting diagnosed with cancer, I felt like a deer in the headlights” (3). It was heartbreaking to read how cancer has cast a shadow upon her life, almost the entire time she’s been alive. As though it couldn’t get worse for her, she couldn’t even receive treatment locally. Her only option was a “prominent cancer center, one that was three hours away” (3). Rachel goes on to share the ominous setting in her hospital room as they prepared her for the three-hour road trip in an ambulance. On the contrary, once she entered the ambulance, she discovered the seeds of her ability to change ominous energy into encouraging energy simply by using her positivity and humor; for example, she “quickly noticed the change of energy in the ambulance as the driver asked if he could put on some KROQ” (3). This also shows how her words can put the reader inside the ambulance, listening to music, with her. The entire ride was a joyous scene, all because of Rachel’s innate ability to shift the energy in the ambulance, surprising her waiting mother after everyone exited “the ambulance, joyful and laughing” (3).
THE STRENGTH OF POSITIVITY, PRAYER, AND LAUGHTER
Discovering the power she has in her soul during the ambulance ride, this led her to understand the importance of “embracing positivity, prayer, and laughter” (3); it was so important to her cancer fight, Rachel says, “That’s the approach I took for my two-and-a-half-year battle, which included a drug-induced coma, relearning how to read, write, and walk, brain surgery, a relapse, arsenic trioxide chemotherapy, and a stem cell transplant using my own stem cells!” (3-4). Wow, after reading that again, it’s amazing the level of perseverance Shur possesses; only someone with the highest levels of mental fortitude could have endured her struggle against cancer. This is why she’s a source of inspiration, displayed through her ability to clearly and effectively share her “story and experiences with others to help them on their journeys” (4).
It would be a disservice to the author to go into the specifics of how she uses positivity, prayer, and laughter to show fellow cancer warriors how positivity, prayer, and laughter are the trinity that could help them during their battle, so, to not spoil it, you must read her book to fully understand how it works. It’s the best way. If someone would’ve just told me the details, I wouldn’t have believed them. The bit of backstory she provides in the introduction lets you know the type of cancer she had; “I was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL) in 2006, it was a rare cancer that generally had a 27% survival rate per 100,000 worldwide annual diagnoses. I was given a 10% chance of survival…Because I’ve survived the cancer, I think it’s important to share what I’ve discovered and all I wish I had known when fighting. Having cancer changed my entire life… I have to admit that it brought a whole new vision for my life and where I could be most useful, including impacting the lives of others who are battling cancer. Because of this experience, I started a grassroots cancer organization called UCAAN… which focuses on the needs of those fighting cancer nationwide.” (4-5). Honestly, the author has such an amazing story and heart to help others, it was hard to stop here.
BEFORE THE BELL RINGS
The book continues by getting deeper into her advice, which is only meant for educational purposes. She also brings in other cancer warriors, just in case the reader or someone close to the reader has a better connection with these warriors’ stories. I also feel like it’s her way of keeping these warriors alive so they won’t be forgotten; in my culture, this is called keeping them from the third death, which is a part of Dia de los Muertos. There were even some moments that frightened me, but thanks to Rachel, I gained knowledge that could help if cancer ever comes for me or someone I love. It doesn’t matter if you have or don’t have cancer. After reading this book, you’ll know a resource that could help, including the help of UCAAN.
In the rest of the book, you’ll find inspiration combined with powerful advice; for example, she advises that “overall survival with cancer is not just based on the treatments or statistics. Most statistics are based on one group of people, not on your will to fight and live. That’s between you and God… No one can tell you your expiration date” (6); wow, the power of that advice is immeasurable. When I read her section about having a support system, I was amazed at the list of websites she provided to help people find support. The one that stuck out to me was Iloveowie.org; it “provides emotional support stuffed animals called Owies to kids battling cancer who don’t have anyone to visit them” (18). I had to share it because it’s heartbreaking how her words conjured the image of a lonely child having to experience cancer alone, regardless of the reason. It’s difficult for adults to endure cancer alone; now imagine a little child. This website’s support program brought tears to my eyes. When I visited the site, the information I read left me speechless, wanting to donate as much as I could. Overall, Ms. Shur unflinchingly shares her cancer experience, showing you every step from the beginning to the end, and even after. There are so many crucial tips, I can’t go into all the essential advice because it’s better if you read them yourself to figure out which ones are helpful to you since “every person will experience things differently, and this includes side effects” (69). I wish I could go into all of her amazing stories about her best memories, without spoiling the effect, because they’re all touching and important in their own way.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. She shares stories that will make you smile. Some will make you laugh out loud. Her book has a profound balance of sadness and joy. It’s like her strategy of positivity, prayer, and laughter emanates through the words she chose to share her knowledge. All the Things I Wish I Knew When I Had Cancer by Rachel Shur is a priceless source of advice for anyone directly or indirectly affected by cancer. Her nonprofit UCAAN is also there to help you or a loved one get the help and resources they need, even if they must be customized.
Thank you for reading our in-depth book review about All the Things I Wish I Knew When I Had Cancer by Rachel Shur. We are not affiliated with the publisher, but here’s the link to pick up a copy.
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E. R. Sanchez is the author of Fried Potato Press’s first young adult thriller, Petaco Dreams, which will be released in 2025 after the rewrite, new title, and new cover. He also has poems and stories published online and in print. If you’d like to read his work that was published online, please click here to go to his Stories and Poetry Section.