Annotated with over 30 fantastic illustrations by Squid (www.squidishere.com) and over 60 photos taken by two photographers, my book is dedicated to all cancer patients especially diagnosed with disseminated diseases.
Perhaps “Moment’s embrace” is not a very good name for the book (“how to fight a losing battle hand in hand with your oncologist” might be more appropriate”!), and definitely not the perfect translation of the Chinese name of the book which means “Embracing life once more when overcoming fright associated with major life changes brought by the diagnosis of cancer”!
Section one constitutes the main body of the book and discusses the ten frequently asked questions by patients and their caretakers from earlier in the course of disease like “why me, I do not smoke and live a clean lifestyle, why should I have lung cancer?” to more pragmatic questions like “how long the patient is going to live?” to typical questions when coming towards the end of the illness when there is so much panic and grief like “should we try newer, unproven methods of treatment?” and “why don’t doctors resuscitate the patient at the very end of life in disseminated cancer situations?”
Vivid illustrations of Squid help really a lot in these stories and discussions, bringing the readers effectively to the mood and point of the question at hand. For example, this very first illustration Squid sketched when we were still discussing the style of the book was later used to illustrate chapter 4 “ How long the patient is going to live?”
One can sense from the illustration, the despairing expression of the patient lying on the bed with advanced breast cancer contrasting with the hope her husband placed on the doctor – who was scratching at the back of his mind to find an answer to the question!
Section two gives examples of 3 settings when long term cancer control is possible – giving encouragement to some of these cancer patients who give up too soon. Section three deals with the psychological preparation for the inevitable end of life, and the philosophical ways looking at life and death.
Section four contains soft sides of an oncologist – my medical upbringing, my hobbies, my values of life affected by life and death I am facing every day.
The book comes with a CD with 12 piano music played by me – the doctor writer becomes the artist to share his emotions through music making!
