Year That Changed My Life

You are sizing up a copy of this book at an airport bookstore. As you look outside you would see hundreds of hardworking business, technical, marketing people passing by. You probably are one of those productive and relatively happy carbon based human units out there. Have you ever thought of what if you get attacked by a life threatening disease like cancer suddenly and without warning? Do you know that half of all living Americans will get some form of cancer at some point in their lives?Eddie Leung, the author, was an engineering physicist that was having fun in all sorts of exciting projects, good at what he was doing and relatively healthy and happy. Within a period of a month, he was hit with the life threatening acute pancreatitis and then pronounced having a rare & extremely aggressive form of cancer called the Cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer). This is the story of his journey through a rigorous treatment that involves the dangerous Whipple surgery, high dosage radiation & chemo therapies and subsequently unpleasant blood infection (sepsis), applying his scientific approach and management skills. This book is a collection of what Eddie learned in terms of the skills as to how to fight cancer physiologically, mentally and spiritually; how to recover from a major surgery like Whipple and make the dreadful radiation and chemo therapies work for the patient. The detailed manuscript describes the feelings and thinking of a cancer patient, the trials and tribulations a caretaker must go through, the importance of faith & positive mental attitude in his battle for survival and eventually the jubilation associated with the change from a cancer patient to a cancer survivor. It is filled with fear, tears, compassion, light-hearted moments and finally happiness.Since cancer is becoming so common in our daily life, it is a must read for the general public, especially cancer patients and their caretakers.