Beating the Odds: Chronicles of a Survivor’s Battle with Cancer, Inadequate Healthcare and Social Injustice

This is a passionate, emotionally charged, and poignant look into the trials and tribulations of a Stage IV Metastatic bladder cancer patient. Given the 16% survival rate and a best-case scenario of 2 to 5 years to live, Andrew Glen had to come to terms not only with his own mortality but also with the unexpected limitations of the Canadian healthcare system, and the cold indifference of his insurance provider and government agencies. Determined to beat the disease, he became an effective self-advocate in seeking the best care from an overburdened healthcare system and sought out alternative treatments, which he feels greatly contributed to his recovery from this dreaded disease. He offers hope for other cancer patients in his discussion of the role of Ayurveda medicine and complimentary therapies in his survival and shares some enlightenment about how his relationship with God changed during and after the course of his treatment.