Worth Fighting For
Love, Loss, and Moving Forward
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4.2 • 123 Ratings
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
From Patrick Swayze’s widow—the moving, New York Times bestselling account of grief, loss, caregiving, and moving on, with touching stories from their final months together.
When Lisa Niemi first exchanged vows with Patrick Swayze, she promised to be with her husband “till death do us part.” But how many couples stop and think about what that truly means?
Worth Fighting For is both a candid tribute to a marriage and a celebration of the healing power that each day holds, even in the most difficult of circumstances. Lisa shares the details of Patrick’s twenty-one-month battle with Stage IV pancreatic cancer, and she describes his last days, when she simply tried to keep him comfortable. She writes with heartbreaking honesty about her grief in the aftermath of his death and openly discusses the challenges that the years without him have posed. Her story is an emotionally honest and unflinching depiction of loss, but it is also a hopeful and life-affirming exploration of the power of the human spirit. “I tell you, I am a different person now,” she writes, “one who has been thrown into the fire and forged.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Niemi's previous memoir, co-written with husband Patrick Swayze (The Time of My Life), appeared just after his death from pancreatic cancer, in 2009, and elaborates on his dancing and acting career (Dirty Dancing, etc.) and the couple's long, tight-knit marriage, since 1975. This work essentially delineates his sudden diagnosis in January 2008, and the tenacious struggle the two underwent to try to prolong his life sometimes with experimental treatment, as the cancer was aggressive and had no cure. A large tumor on his pancreas was blocking the drainage of his stomach, so that Swayze also had a hard time eating; because of the advanced nature of the disease, he was not a candidate for a "cyberknife" procedure or radiation, but he did finally qualify for a Stanford University trial study employing the new drug PTK, also called Vatalanib, along with an IV chemotherapy administered once a week. Yet the cancer continued its debilitating course, and as the news of his illness spread around the world, it created a deluge of well-wishers as well as importunate inquiries. Niemi writes movingly of trying to keep a positive outlook, staying organized with drugs, treatments, and foods for her husband, employing relatives as helpers and researchers, and, most of all, using the time she and Swayze had left together to enjoy and appreciate each other. It's a heartfelt account, both brave and honorable.
Customer Reviews
Lisa's book
This was a book more about Lisa then Patrick. I kept waiting to hear more about him. Everyone loved him and wanted to read about him. It was more about her decisions, and how great she was at taking care of him. I was a little disappointed. I might read the book they wrote together. Not sure if it will be more of the same.
Worth Fighting For
I lost my husband to this cancer 2 years ago this September. Lisa's experience mirrored mine except that I lost my beloved within 4 months of his diagnosis. This book was well written and it validates all I was feeling and experiencing during our painful albeit short journey that still continues for those of us left to grieve.
Still grieving from San Antonio Texas
Worth Fighting For
Lisa Niemi's brave insight into the emotions she endured while helping her husband Buddy battle Cancer, really made me feel like someone understood what I was going through. My Mother is currently battling the same Pancreatic Cancer. Reading Lisa's raw feelings of what it's like as the primary caregiver was capturing exactly how I felt. Her words made me feel like finally someone knew exactly what I was going through. I'm really happy I bought this book because it has helped me understand what I may face in the future, but also how to Survive if my Mom loses her battle. There are some days I'm just completely scared and sad, but after reading Lisa's book, I no longer feel guilty about having those emotions. I've handled myself a lot like Lisa in never letting anyone see me breakdown or be anything but positive and strong. This is a heartfelt book and I definitely recommend anyone with a family member fighting Cancer, especially Pancreatic Cancer to read this book. Having read this book really made me feel so much better and even more emotionally stable for my Mom because I was finally acknowledging my true feelings instead of pretending I was fine. I am so thankful to Lisa for sharing her experience. This is an honest account of a great love story during the most challenging circumstances and a honest display of the thing we all fear most....death. Thank you Lisa for putting one foot in front of the other....now I know I can too.