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Book Review
'Survivor: Taking Control of
Your Fight Against Cancer'
In 1991, at the age of 37, Laura Landro, an award-winning Wall
Street Journal reporter and editor, underwent a routine physical only to
discover that the cause of her increasingly debilitating fatigue was chronic
myelogenous leukemia.
Nothing would ever be the same in Landro's life, nor in the life
of anyone who cared for her. "Everything I had taken for granted--my daily
concerns, my work, my well-being, my sense of my place in the world, even my
physical appearance--was about to be taken away from me. My own mortality,
something I had never seriously considered, was suddenly staring me in the
face." Drawing on her journalistic skills to exhaustively investigate the
disease and her treatment options, she chose to go for the only known cure--a
bone marrow transplant.
In "Survivor: Taking Control of Your Fight Against Cancer," Simon
& Schuster, $18, Landro tells how she took charge of her health care and,
by fighting for the right treatment and doctors, battled her leukemia.
Part memoir, part survival guide, "Survivor" chronicles how Landro
coped with her diagnosis. Treating the disease like an investigative story, she
taped interviews with experts and doctors, and took copious notes on
conversations with researchers, physicians and other patients who had been
through the same ordeal. She immersed herself in the science of bone marrow
transplantation and visited many major cancer treatment centers. Ultimately,
Landro made the decision to travel 3,000 miles to the Fred Hutchinson Center in
Seattle for a BMT.
"Survivor" also is a poignant account of the crucial role loyalty
and love play in pulling a cancer patient through a medical crisis. Emotionally
revealing, the book details how Landro faced this life-threatening illness and
the effect it had on her family, friends and colleagues. Her mother, a nurse by
training, put her life on hold for three months to be at her daughter's side
throughout her treatment. Her two younger brothers, amazingly both bone marrow
matches, donated blood, cells and the bone marrow that saved her life. Landro's
friends used their vacation time to visit and care for her, while her
co-workers at the Journal became some of her staunchest allies, making sure she
stayed in the office loop. During this time, Landro became engaged and married,
which raised other issues to be confronted, including the likelihood of
infertility and changes in her appearance.
In "Survivor," Landro points to the increasing numbers of advocate
organizations available to cancer patients and the burgeoning Internet web
sites and on-line discussion groups devoted to specific diseases that can be
accessed for valuable support. The book includes a selective list of useful
resources for people facing leukemia and related cancers or a bone marrow
transplant.
Although beautifully written and at times humorous, "Survivor"
describes Landro's BMT experience in very graphic detail. Some patients may
find it overwhelming or disturbing. However, "Survivor" will give allogeneic
BMT patients who want "no surprises," as well as caregivers, a vivid picture of
what to expect, and how to seek and give help. |
