The Unsaid: Men, Women and Prostate Cancer is a true, and very personal account of one husband and wife’s experience through the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. It is a story about healing and recovery, about medicine and alternatives, about mental strength as much as physical recovery.
Unlike most books about prostate cancer, this one tells the story from the wife’s perspective, from the experiences and opinions of the caregiver – all the while relating, with empathy and step-by-step detail the man’s fears, successes, setbacks and recovery. This is a book that looks at the nurturing and spiritual recovery of both the patient and his partner. It offers advice on such medical innovations as cryogenic surgery of prostate cancer, and supplemental treatments using alternative medicines and methods.
The Unsaid: Men, Women and Prostate Cancer offers some important background, as well, into the demographics and warning signs of prostate cancer, and talks about some of the risks associated with different treatments. Tony – a fictional name for the real patient –experiences many of the most advanced treatments currently available, and the book provides a chronology of his entire process: from first recognizing there was something wrong, through to diagnosis and surgery, and then the often challenging and ongoing recovery process. All the while Tony’s wife, Connie, is the one cataloguing that process – providing support, looking for her own answers, and trying to overcome her own fears and concerns.
Recovery needs to involve the best possible medical care, but this book also understands alternatives to help sustain full spiritual, mental and physical recovery. Vibrational medicine, acupuncture, reflexology, reiki, homeopathy and hypnonsis all help Tony on his road to recovery. Getting on with one’s life – finding comfort in regular routine, but also gaining a willingness to live life differently and become open to the possibilities of change – are all important aspects of this book.
