I am a changed person for reading this book/testimony. Truthfully, I thought it would be a light-weight read. Not so! This is profound fodder. ‘Friendship fluff stuff’ that really knives to the marrow of our collective, holistic female existance. Pretty primordial.

You Ames chicks are XX-gene heroines. What amazing, special people you are individually, and as a beautiful, dynamic, evolving group.

Disclaimer: I was reading along blissfully and somewhat naively wondering how the heck breast cancer (or any cancer? Given your Ames Project proximity…..AND don’t even tell me what happens with the soccer complex that Marylin’s dad fought againest) had bypassed ya’ll. DUMB ME then got Kelly and Angela’s diagnosis. I was diagnosed December 4 of 2008 with a very aggressive stage 3 form of breast cancer. Now, with your book, I have re-cried my bald head, crappy chemo, my bilateral radical mastectomy, breast infections that resulted from said-opted-for-bilateral-mastectomy, radiation that burned the living crap out of my poor “new boobs”. ETC. ETC. Now those stupid new boobs have to be re-constructed. But as I am sure Kelly and Angela would agree…it is nothing compared to the alternate picture. I am living and will be here to yell at my grandkids……Oh, I forgot, we won’t/can’t yell at grandkids. Maybe at our deaf husbands? hee.

Angela and Kelly are super warriors in the talks and experiences of breast cancer…..and Karla is in another stratosphere with Christie. (We moms can handle ANYTHING, but when %#*@!^ happens to our kids…watch the ^$#@&*! out! Karla, you go beyond words… Bruce and Ben and Jackie too, of-course!) But all the Ames girls have been through EVERYTHING (good and bad, solo and collectively)…………I am jealous and impressed by the fortitude and flexibily of your friendship ties. Rock-star- (Rod Stewart? Bruce?)kudos to ALL OF YOU. AS INDIVIDUALS AND AS A SYNERGISTIC WHOLE.

OK one bitchy mean-girl question………..no alcoholism? (SMILE! I knew you were all better than my pathetic-frustrated-housewife-mother-of-four self. Ok, won’t go there….I am Jenny’s sort-of-neighbor in Northern Va.

I am a tad (wee-tad) younger at now age 45 than ya’ll…….and I finally kicked wine as my cancer crutch 4 1/2 months ago.

Thanks for this “real-life story” that has helped me tremendously. You inspire more than you know. I think I can do anything now. I have wonderful friends that I now savor and relish more than ever.

XOXOXOX to you all. Your gift and example(s) live on in spades.

Karin

I came across the book because of financial problems; my mom has been taking surveys to raise up extra money, and one of the surveys was that she read this book and write a review. Her name is Roxanna Parker and she was involved in a near-fatal car accident in 04 (I think. I haven’t kept track of the year), so it’s no surprise she doesn’t make much money.

I haven’t read her review, but she gave me the book right after she was done with it, with the mere instructions to “read it”. I did. And I’m extremely glad for that, because your stories have inspired me in a way I didn’t think possible.

Yesterday as I was reading it I sat and thought about what I would do if I had any form of cancer. These thoughts were based off Christie; the way she handled it so beautifully made me think of how I’d react to cancer. I conjured up a scenario in my head in which I had cancer that was in my legs. A doctor would have said to me, “You have two options. Amputate your legs and live, or don’t amputate and most likely die.” Mom would have cried and dad would have, too. Ethan (older brother) most likely would have broken down as well.

I would have cried and thought long and hard, and I like to think I’d have decided to lose my legs. I value life more than ever, in part due to reading your story.

Yes, an unlikely scenario, but it put things into perspective. I sincerely thank you for sharing your wonderful stories with us; it greatly helped me and no doubt countless others.

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