A definitive and approachable guide to life during, and after, breast cancer The biggest risk factor for breast cancer is simply being a woman. One in eight women in America will be diagnosed during their lifetime. Madhulika Sikka’s A Breast Cancer Alphabet offers a new way to live with and plan past the hardest diagnosis that most women will ever receive: a personal, practical, and deeply informative look at the road from diagnosis to treatment and beyond.
Like many women diagnosed with breast cancer, Madhulika Sikka has a busy life, an allergy to clichés, and a knack for getting things done. What she didn’t foresee when initially diagnosed, and what this book brings to life so vividly, are the unexpected and minute challenges that make managing the world of breast cancer all the trickier. Madhulika had an inspired reaction to what started as a personal predicament: If she could not easily find a book to show her how to cope with cancer, then she would write one for herself and for all the women who, like her, need it.
The result is an A-to-Z guide to living with breast cancer. In it, Madhulika goes where so many fear to tread: intimacy (S is for Sex—really?), sentimentality (J is for Journey—it’s a cliché we need to dispense with), looks (H is for Hair—yes, you can make a federal case of it), and work (Q is for Quitting—there’ll be days when you feel like it). In easy-to-follow, memorable essays she maps the path from breast cancer neophyte to seasoned veteran, navigating for readers the rocky shoals between expert and sisterly advice. As a prominent news executive, Madhulika had access to the most cutting-edge data on the disease’s reach and impact. At the same time, she craved the community of frank talk and personal insight that we rely on in life’s toughest moments. This wonderfully inventive book bridges the worlds of science and story, bringing readers into Madhulika’s mind and experience in a way that demystifies breast cancer and offers new perspective for those living with it.
