I want to tell you about this wonderful book that Toni has written. I am lucky to be one of the few non-professional people to have had the privilege of reading How to be Sick.First, a little background about myself. I have stage four advanced breast cancer stemming from the genetic mutation BRCA2. I nursed my Mother when she died, have been there while my sister and nieces have undergone and are still undergoing treatment and, of course, my own. I am now on a trial drug to try and stop my cancer spreading plus monthly treatments. All this means I have many days of lying on a bed being very unwell and am also facing a very uncertain future.
Toni's book came to me through a link from a friend and it has been a god send. In the past I have both bought and been given a number of books on how to deal and be with my BC. Most are along the lines of me needing to think my cancer away, to completely change my diet, to think possitively and so on you know what I mean. There is none of that in Toni's book. It is simply the most practical and inspiring book I have read. Toni draws from not only wonderful Buddhist practices, but from movies, songs, people, wrtings, poetry, and her own experiences. She showed me how to face and be with my cancer, to feel the uncertainty, the fear, to be a woman lying on a bed so unwell, worrying...
I have been around Buddhists for around 20 years (I am not a Buddhist myself) and the way Toni explains the concepts and practices of Buddhism is the best I have heard. Wow, Toni, I get it... or should I say I'm getting it.
I do not write this lightly, How to be Sick resonated with my very core. As I face all that is cancer, not only now but the future, I am so very very grateful to have Toni's book right there beside me. Thank you.
It's a tall order. And one that many chronically ill people (and their caregivers) may feel too overwhelmed even to contemplate. Yet, Bernhard found that certain ways of being helped her through the dark tunnel. In effect, dealing with chronic illness became her spiritual practice, and she has valuable insights to offer others in the same condition.
Buy How to Be Sick: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide for the Chronically Ill and Their Caregivers Now
This is a must read for anyone struggling with chronic disease. I hope that potential readers will not be turned off thinking that they "have to be Buddhist" to understand and benefit from it. Toni's book demonstrates how making the slightest attitude adjustments can significantly reduce pain and suffering for both the afflicted and the loved ones and caregivers in their lives. The solutions she presents are valuable. The situations she describes from her own experience are poignant but universally shared. Better than flowers, this book might be the most valuable gift you could ever give a friend or family member who is dealing with serious illness and its aftermath.Whether it's a car accident or lupus, we or a loved one, will have our active life stolen away from us someday. This book is one person's painful and, yes even, inspiring journey through the underworld of debilitating illness. But she doesn't leave us dwelling down there, rather her honesty, courage, and compassion brings us back up into a world of light. The author becomes a role model for how to find joy and thrive in a life turned upside down by chronic illness.While the title of this book has the word "Buddhist," it's really for all people regardless of spiritual preference. It's also a book for not only the healthy-life-deprived person, but also for their caregivers. Because chronic illnesses devastates the entire family, changes intimate relationships, and places a huge direct burden on the immediate caregiver, this is a book for all of us.
The author even creatively wrote an "emergency guide" at the back of the book that lists the myriad challenges faced by the family and then matches them to the relevant pages in the book. So, she has made her book, both a story and reference guide for her readers.
I'll be honest with you, this is both a difficult book to read, as well as a heart-opening book. There's no way you can read it without being changed. The way the author has written this book, her personal struggle deeply touched me. And I'm not sure that if I was in her place, I could have found the emotional and physical strength to look in the mirror and honestly share with others what I saw.I posted this review for a friend but I whole heartidly agree. This is a comforting book for anyone living with chronic illness. It leaves you not tight fisted seeking a "cure" but hope and comfort for living in the moment with a chronic illness.
My friend Ceclia said: A friend who has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (like Toni and myself) recommended this book when I told her I'm interested in Buddhism. It's not a book about Buddhism but it explains some basic principles that can help us live well in spite of our illness and maybe even because of our illness.
The book includes Zen poetry by my favourite haiku poet Issa as well as quotes from many teachers/teachings.
It's an honest book. We may not recover and that's scary. Toni offers ways to deal with our fear and other emotions. She tells us how we can stop the suffering caused by negative thinking. We can "drop it", we can use Byron Katie's inquiry to question the validity of our thoughts or we can follow Thich Nhat Hanh's suggestion and examine each thought with the reflection "Am I sure?".
The book is humorous, light and graceful. It tells the truth about having a chronic illness and living well. Life is good, and so is this book.
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