The Book

Hi. My name is Katie. The simple version of my story is this: when I was 30, I was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. Despite a year of nasty treatments, the cancer ended up spreading, and at 31, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. Since then, I’ve been on a wild ride trying to find a way to slow this cancer down and “get on with living my life”.

The real version of my story is a bit more intense. I was living the average life of a busy, Type A, overly committed 30-something when crisis and illness ravaged my body, stole my identity and damaged or destroyed almost everything that gave my life meaning including my career, my relationships and my shot at having a family.

After wrangling with tremendous grief, fear and anger I discovered that the only way to find meaning again would be through embracing whatever life I had left, and this would require traveling to new depths with myself.

I’d learn to get ever more present with my mind and spirit, become insanely intimate with my body and its capacity, and move into the world with the kind of courage and commitment that truly understands: this is it. Now’s the time.

 

Why Did I Write This?

This is not a book about illness and dying. This is a book about deep wellness and powerful living.

I have written this because I want you to know that you are not alone in the messy work of making meaning in our lives and I want you to live your one, wild, beautiful life all in.

After years of writing about my journey on my blog www.katiecrushescancer.com, the resources, wisdom and hard-earned lessons grew too large for that space alone.

This book is the aggregate of the most important things I know for audacious, courageous, wholehearted living.

Cancer, crisis, or not, this book is meant to give a megaphone to the voice inside each of us that is saying, now is the time to find happiness and today is the day to start living.

I’d be so grateful for your support and enthusiasm.

What does the book cover?

• How to connect with your MIND: by discovering your inherent self-worth, practicing radical acceptance, allowing yourself to be vulnerable and living more mindfully.
• How to connect with your BODY: by learning to nourish,not just feed your body, by discovering how to connect through joyful movement, and by learning how to advocate powerfully for your body.
• How to connect to your WORLD: by finding your cause and your service, by getting outside and going beyond your comfort zone, and by connecting with people and building deeper relationships.

Each chapter is told through my own personal experiences, struggles and triumphs and many chapters include my own practical practices for putting these ideas into action.

Who is this book for?

This is a book for anyone who wants to join in on crazy, courageous living. It’s particularly for those who have been through cancer or an otherwise life-altering crisis. Crisis can burn us out, break us down, traumatize us and leave us feeling deflated. But crisis also makes us more resilient, break us open and leave us ready for the kind of deep healing that courageous living requires. Whether your crisis is cancer, death, divorce, career-related, illness or existential, you will be able to relate to the universal challenges that many of us face when dealing with life-altering changes.

How the book supports the Young Adult Cancer Movement

The young adult cancer movement has been critical to me in rebuilding my life after my cancer diagnosis. The people I have met in that movement have inspired me and the organizations dedicated to this cause have changed my life. Because of this, I am donating 10% of sales of this book to two of my favorite Young Adult Cancer organizations: First Descents, and Stupid Cancer. It is my sincere hope that this book will help other young adults with cancer and that the proceeds will go towards changing even more lives.