A Time of Ignorance & Terror

This book is about Small-Cell Lung Cancer and is a story of despair and hope. It was written in the hope that the terrible experiences my family endured and the information learned from the ordeals, interviews of doctors, clinics, etc., while my wife, Meryl, suffered through the few months of life after diagnosis of small cell lung cancer will help others who find themselves in the same predicament. It concerns treatment which may prolong life but in the process, destroys the quality of life as well as the body's immune system. Today's medically accepted procedures for cancer are surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Some refer to these measures as "cut, burn and poison." I chose to become the primary caretaker for my wife and was overwhelmed what I had to learn and do. Throughout the remainder of Meryl's life, I had to wonder whether or not the average person choosing to be a primary caretaker could find the time and energy to perform effectively. The book is a summary of the daily events during the last day's of my wife's life, a series of interviews with doctors, clinics and patients. It reviews every aspect of the onset of her cancer including details which most doctors never see. A letter from an M.D. who read the book states, "Your book should be read by every doctor who has ever referred a cancer patient to a surgeon, radiologist or oncologist. It most certainly should be read by every radiologist and oncologist that has ever treated a cancer patient."