Examining Myself: One Woman's Story of Breast Cancer Treatment and Recovery

When Musa Mayer was first diagnosed with breast cancer, none of the personal accounts she reached for fully addressed what was to her most critical: the human, psychological dimensions of illness and recovery. Now, in "Examining Myself" Musa Mayer offers a beautifully crafted memoir written for the nearly two hundred thousand American women stricken with breast cancer each year, as well as for their partners, families and friends. In a compelling narrative that resists sensationalism and easy answers, Mayer chronicles her experience with cancer over the past several years - from biopsy and diagnosis through mastectomy, chemotherapy and reconstructive surgery. Fears of recurrence and death, challenges to femininity, the imposing medical establishment with its often conflicting treatment options, the bewildering array of alternative methods and theories, the search for emotional support and the fear of losing new-found friends to the disease - these are the issues e! ! ach breast cancer patient faces in her own way. In "Examining Myself" Musa Mayer shares a very personal odyssey that offers invaluable information and support about a disease that touches us all.