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Bangers and Mash by Keith Hern (view source)
Revision as of 15:15, 29 November 2009
, 15:15, 29 November 2009no edit summary
Keith Hern found a small lump in his neck and when the results of the tests came through he tried to put the appointment off as he had something more pressing to do, but the doctor was insistent. He knew then that he had cancer. The lump in his neck was, in fact, a secondary tumour with the primary being in the back of his tongue. But for the secondary tumour the discovery of the primary might have been too late for successful treatment. Keith takes us through the discovery of his cancer, his reactions to the diagnosis, his treatment and the titular meal of bangers and mash – the first solid food which he had attempted for some time.
Don't be put off by the mention of NLP – neuro-linguistic programming – on the cover because the book is about much more than the help which he received from an NLP coach. The coach does make some valid points which are not just relevant to someone undergoing this treatment but to life in general – I found the thought of looking beyond a particular problem to find the desired outcome particularly thought-provoking and there are plenty of other points which will allow you to consider how you approach problems. NLP isn't pushed in the book – it's simply a tool which Keith found useful in helping him to get through a particularly difficult time. If you're hoping to find out more about NLP then this might not be the most appropriate book for you. You'll get the feel - but not the detail.
But if you – or someone close to you – is suffering from cancer and particularly throat cancer then this book is invaluable. Keith is brutally honest about his reactions to the news of the diagnosis. He's open about the tears, the fears and the difficulty of telling people what the problem was. With a serious illness it's easy to think that you're not coping because the diagnosis has hit so hard and it's reassuring to know that someone else has had pretty much the same set of feelings.