Between Me and the River
A Memoir
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4.3 • 3 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Carrie Host knows that the diagnosis of a life-threatening illness takes a split second to change your life. When told at forty, with her youngest child just nine months old, that she had a rare form of cancer known as carcinoid tumor, Host felt as if she'd been hurled into a raging river, stripped of all forms of potential rescue. Between Me and the River is Host's candid and uplifting memoir of how she found the strength and fortitude to triumph over this disease, and craft a new and meaningful life. The voyage of this strong-minded, openhearted woman is told with uncompromising honesty and respect for the miracles that medicine and love can work.
Host's unquenchable sense of humor in the midst of suffering creates poignant moments of laughter through tears. Bracing, lyrical and deeply moving, Between Me and the River is a tribute to one life, and all lives, rerouted by illness.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
On Halloween in 2003, Host was given terrifying news: she had carcinoid tumor, a rare and deadly form of cancer . The wife and mother of three children (then ages 10 months, 11 and 13), who is now in remission, was given a prognosis of 18 to 36 months. In this heartfelt narrative, Host attempts to simultaneously fight the disease and find peace with the possibility of death while remaining strong and hopeful. The author describes the moments of comfort and joy she receives from those around her, but she doesn't flinch from the realities of life-threatening illness. Regarding one particularly harrowing hospital stay, she recalls, "I thought I had already earned my doctorate in pain, but it turns out I was wrong." She finds humor among the indignities cancer patients must endure, writing, for example, "I should have known that, as a mother of three, the only possible way to get 12 uninterrupted hours of sleep would be surgery." Host's honest depiction of her personal experiences also captures the universal aspects of cancer. In one of the book's entries, dated nearly two years after her initial diagnosis, Host recounts a conversation with a stranger, a fellow train passenger: "We have that instant connection that you make with someone who has suffered the loss that cancer can bring."
Customer Reviews
Excellent
Appreciate your life. The struggle to live, find beauty, grace and courage are woven into the story of a battle. The write has given a voice to cancer and a testament to faith and shown us a mothers heart and that we should not waste or take a single moment for granted...well written, love it!