3 out of 4 stars
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Myth: Fit people don't get cancer
Reality: Lack of exercise is not the only risk factor for cancer
Doug Limbrick was training for his 21st marathon at 63 years of age. This is a rare achievement for most people. Everyone would be properly and rightly amazed. On the day of the marathon, he chose not tell his friends and fellow runners that he had just been diagnosed with cancer. Running the Marathon with Cancer is Doug's personal story of surviving colorectal cancer and how running helped him fight it. It is a nonfiction book which I would classify under inspirational reading.
Upon his diagnosis, Doug shared his feelings and the response of his family and friends. He also provided details about his situation as well as pictures and medical images. He talked about undergoing surgery during a holiday and coping with a body that had been weakened with sickness and treatment, devastating for a senior citizen who is used to running marathons. He alternated simple explanations on medical procedures with little observations like hospital people should not be smoking. After undergoing radiology and chemotherapy, a portion of his colon was removed which led to complications that gave him a near-death experience. All throughout his ordeal, Doug rallied with the support of his friends, family and his positive outlook. His main goal was to be active as soon as possible - try to ski and eventually run another marathon which he was able to do.
I like the casual, reflective storytelling style that Doug employed in writing the book. He shared his observations of things that he normally would ignore but mean differently to him given his situation. For example, he was feeling frustrated at not being able to walk properly for a marathoner, then the movie Happy Feet came on TV. He empathized with a neighbouring patient who kept yelling that he was all better and wanted to go home; yet in reality, he was still unwell. He was thankful for drinking water after a fast and for a shave after a long hospital stay. He generously shared his learnings from different inspirational books. I was thankful for his reading list in the appendix. Every quote at the beginning of each chapter is a gem.
There were only a handful of typos such as spelling "heals" instead of "heels", misspelling "focused" and "Dalia Lama" instead of "Dalai Lama". Sadly, I would rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because I found a lot of parts to be monotonous. The storytelling was too much of a monologue. I wish that some parts had dialogue or maybe excerpts of letters instead of merely an account of the conversations and letters. I realize that the conversations and excerpts may not be actual or verbatim; however, that is not an expectation of this type of book.
Doug's main goal in sharing his story was to prompt people to have themselves tested, including those who consider themselves active and fit. I recommend this book to anyone who would like to be inspired or those who are interested in a cancer survivor's journey. There is some mention of religion and spirituality but it refers to Doug's experience and is not preachy. Upon reading his inspirational story, those who are scared to have themselves tested are reminded that early detection is important. Like him, a survivor can be strong enough to run a marathon with cancer, literally or figuratively.
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Running the Marathon with Cancer
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