Welcome to the comments and discussion of the Young Adult Cancer Book Club!  We are reading Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro! Catch up on pages 1-20, pages 20-40, pages 41-59, pages 60-80, pages 80-106, pages 106-125, pages 125-148, pages 149-181, pages 181-210, and pages 210-229.

Let’s get started!

pages 229-237.

The closing pages of Dan Shapiro’s moving memoir are all about resilience, moving on and life coming full circle. As the book nears the end, Dan’s Nana is a 90-year-old woman who has lost family to the Gestapo, survived a bombing, buried a beloved husband as a young woman, and raised two children in a foreign and unfamiliar country where she did not speak the language.  Yet as Dan writes, “In her voice there’s no trace of her history.” Dan is clearly inspired by her resiliency. Maybe he learned how to bounce back and overcome from watching her or maybe it is inherited. Are some of us genetically predisposed to be resilient? Does it take a living to the ripe age of 90 to be okay with what has life’s tragedies, or is it something that happens little by little over time? For some of us will there always be a trace of our history in our voice? Do we want there to be no trace of the history?

Dan is (understandably) mesmerized by the miracle that is his daughter and their similarities. He acknowledges that she could have never existed if his mother hadn’t happened to have a conversation with a stranger in a waiting room. Dan’s love for his own daughter, a new kind of love that never existed in him before, causes Dan to recognize that this phenomenon, the love of a child, is what enabled his “anti drug-never-apologize mom” to plant marijuana in her backyard. I am not a parent myself, but I saw this feeling manifested in my own mother when I was going through treatment. She would have given anything to be able to switch places with me. The love of a parent must truly be like no other.

Dan’s final dictated note describes him as a “white male with a remote history of Hodgkin’s Disease….” Isn’t that something we all long for-to be someone with a remote history? Dan’s mother struggled for a long time with when would be the appropriate time to dispose of the marijuana stash. With multiple recurrences, she was understandably hesitant when she said season after season “Not yet. You never know. “ I know many of us struggle with this. When is the right time to have our port taken out? When can I get rid of my wig? How remote must our history be before we will feel it is the right time? I suppose this answer is different for everyone, but eventually, Mom did decide it was time to burn her marijuana.

– Jill D

In the last few pages, as he has done throughout the whole book, Shapiro does a fantastic job illustrating how he has applied all of the life lessons he has acquired thus far, to his everyday challenges that arise, but more importantly, Shapiro brings the story full circle. In the section Nana, the author explains how content with life his ninety-year-old grandmother is despite all of the horrific tragedies she has had to endure. I feel this specific story shows the readers where Shapiro draws a lot of his determination to overcome anything.

In the section Bedrock, the author realizes there are some things you can’t understand until you’ve lived them, like having a child; and it is here, out of the love for his own daughter Shapiro connects the dots and can finally understand why his “antidrug-never-apologize mother could plant a weed she despised in our backyard.”

Although having been a cancer patient and knowing that fear of relapse is always nearby, the last dictated chart note gives us a sense of optimism and hope for the author’s outcome, especially “mediastinal and side views are clear.”

In the last short story, Mom’s marijuana: Part D, Shapiro finishes the book where we started, in his mothers garden, but only this time he’s seeing his mother teach his daughter, all the loving ways to tend to a garden.

– Krystina N

The end!

Join in next Monday for an update on the online video chat discussion!

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Thanks for joining us for pages 229-237 of Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro! Join in next Monday for an update on the online video chat discussion!

If you’re just joining us, here are some logistics:

The chapters and sections of this book are organized differently than in a book we’ve read together before.  So instead of going chapter by chapter, we’ll go about 20 pages at a time each Monday. We’ll use one more Monday to talk about general feelings from the book and anything else you’d like to discuss.  Join in, in the comments every week!  At the end, we’ll have a book club discussion via video chat!  Also, there will probably be spoilers.  Read along with us!

How are you enjoying our young adult cancer book club?

Welcome to the comments and discussion of the Young Adult Cancer Book Club!  We are reading Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro! Catch up on pages 1-20, pages 20-40, pages 41-59, pages 60-80, pages 80-106, pages 106-125, pages 125-148, pages 149-181, and pages 181-210.

Let’s get started!

pages 210-229.

So, I have to be honest here – I haven’t been reading, and I didn’t get past page 13 when I started the book on the day of delivery. I thought I was going to be super excited to read this but as I was reading the first pages and it was going over the details of Dan’s diagnosis, I found myself increasingly anxious. I felt the same way when I started to try to watch Breaking Bad too. Needless to say, I think I am experiencing a little bit of PTSD hearing about other people go through their own diagnosis. I think it’s pretty hard to admit that to myself and to be okay with it, but in time, I’m sure this will subside.

Moving on to my portion of the discussion – pages 210 through 229 – I was actually quite captivated! I was really excited that I found this reading interesting to me, especially after my first failed attempt!

First of all – I LOVE that it started out with him kayaking! I just had a very recent evening with First Descents in Washington DC where we went kayaking. I had never been before and when Dan was describing his guide being so sure of the outcome after he faced the rapids, it really reminded me of all the people involved in FD. No matter who I speak with that is involved with that particular organization, I always feel like they are truly “out living it” both in regards to life, and cancer. Everyone welcomes you with open arms, and for the first time in a long time, I was able to just accept my life the way it is. I’d even go as far as to say that I might actually be pretty happy with this life I’m living these days. This quote from the book especially stood out to me, “Open your mind to the possibility that you’ll arrive safely downstream. There might be foam on your edges, and a terrifying sound that eclipses every thought, but you won’t capsize. Rider her out. Just ride her out.”

There was another section that made me chuckle on page 216. Dan was talking about his parents and I’m pretty sure he was actually talking about mine… “She and my parents spent hours wandering the aisles, my mother carrying a copy of Consumer Reports with pictures of car seats and bottles and portable cribs and diaper disposal vaults. My father pushed a cart behind her, making quiet suggestions and occasionally shaking a selected item to test its sturdiness.” My mom definitely wears the pants and does most of the consumer reports investigating. My dad is a great assistant – always ready to take over and be on duty, or there for the assist!

One last thing I wanted to comment on was on page 224. “When I was in treatment I was often dependent for social contact on the people around me. I needed them to see me as more than a cancer patient and I wanted to see them as more than interchangeable technicians.” I found this to be remarkably similar to my experience as a patient. I was ALWAYS trying to talk up my doctors, nurses and techs in order to be “more than just a cancer patient” to them. I wanted to be seen as a person instead of a disease. I didn’t want to be just a number to someone, another woman in on a Tuesday for her chemo. I wanted my personality and interests and life to be important to Julie, and Tanya and Maria. The more I think about it now, the more I realize that I STILL strive to do that. I take the extra moment to hold the door, compliment the cashier’s earrings, and say “thank you.”

Overall, I’m glad I got back to the book and was able to connect with these few pages. I’ve noticed an overarching theme in this small section which aligns very closely with how I’m living my life right now. I’ve learned to stress a little less, stop to smell the roses, and appreciate time, whether it’s moving fast or slow. I’m very happy I can step back and find so much value in learning something new about my coworker or doing the dishes for my mom. I know a lot of people can agree with me when I say that I didn’t want cancer, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but I would never change a thing. Cancer has made me a better and more appreciative person.

– Christine S

 

Join in next Monday for comments and discussion on the next 20 pages of the book!

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Thanks for joining us for pages 210-229 of Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro!  Join in next Monday for the next 20 pages of the book!

If you’re just joining us, here are some logistics:

The chapters and sections of this book are organized differently than in a book we’ve read together before.  So instead of going chapter by chapter, we’ll go about 20 pages at a time each Monday. We’ll use one more Monday to talk about general feelings from the book and anything else you’d like to discuss.  Join in, in the comments every week!  At the end, we’ll have a book club discussion via video chat!  Also, there will probably be spoilers.  Read along with us!

How are you enjoying our young adult cancer book club?

Welcome to the comments and discussion of the Young Adult Cancer Book Club!  We are reading Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro! Catch up on pages 1-20, pages 20-40, pages 41-59, pages 60-80, pages 80-106, pages 106-125, and pages 125-148.

Let’s get started!

pages 149-181.

This section begins with Dan getting his head shaved by Sergio. For me, this was the hardest part of the cancer ordeal. When clumps started coming out, I had my hairdresser shave it all off. We both cried throughout the entire process. I was so sad, and still am, that my hair is gone.

He mentions the phrase ‘enlightenment under pressure’, which is a great outlook to have. This disease really messes with your psyche, and it is really important to remain as positive as possible. When you get to the “why me?” stage, you just have to tell yourself, “You’re okay. Get up,” as Dan did, when he found himself getting weak.

Hope. When Dan was yearning for some good news, I could sympathize with him. All we want is good news from doctors, or at least a bit of news to spark the diminishing hope. He begins to feel pain and immediately thinks that the disease has spread to his bones. I could relate to this because although I try not to, I constantly think that every pain I have, is cancer-related. It’s hard to not think that it will return and spread. This is why hope is such a valuable word. It gets you through all the doubtful episodes.

– Michelle O

 

Join in next Monday for comments and discussion on the next 20 pages of the book!

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Thanks for joining us for pages 149-181 of Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro!  Join in next Monday for the next 20 pages of the book!

If you’re just joining us, here are some logistics:

The chapters and sections of this book are organized differently than in a book we’ve read together before.  So instead of going chapter by chapter, we’ll go about 20 pages at a time each Monday. We’ll use one more Monday to talk about general feelings from the book and anything else you’d like to discuss.  Join in, in the comments every week!  At the end, we’ll have a book club discussion via video chat!  Also, there will probably be spoilers.  Read along with us!

How are you enjoying our young adult cancer book club?

Welcome to the comments and discussion of the Young Adult Cancer Book Club!  We are reading Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro! Catch up on pages 1-20, pages 20-40, pages 41-59, pages 60-80, pages 80-106, and pages 106-125.

Let’s get started!

pages 125-148.

Jacob’s Exit – Dan talks about returning to working with patients after his treatments and one patient in particular named Jacob who he related with. He mentions his fear of bringing in his own experiences with cancer to the patients. He then talks about the loss he felt when Jacob passed away and how he still had to continue on. As a healthcare professional myself I relayed to this chapter as I am about to return to work and am also worried about how my experiences as a patient will affect how I practice. I feel like Dan though I will hopefully be able to use it to better relate to the people I treat.

Mixed Blessings – A short excerpt about feelings and dreams and how he perceives life and experiences around him.

A Roller Coaster – Dan talks about his relationship with Terry and her love of roller coasters. He talks about trips they took and rides they went on. It was on a roller coaster in Tampa Florida where he came to the realization that he had another recurrence. This made the dreams he had in the previous section make more sense to him.

Jennings – Dan talks about a clinical professor he studied under the name Dr. Jennings. He learned a lot from him including the fact that his own reactions to the clients say a lot about himself. When a client missed the appointment Dan was mad and subsequently missed his meeting with Dr. Jennings to discuss the appointment. It was interesting how the client missing the appointment ended up being a way for the client to take back control after an emotional previous visit and how Jennings got to that resolution.  Dan was then diagnosed with his second relapse and Dr. Jennings made Dan resign from the program. Dan took what he learned from Jennings and analyzed his reaction realizing that it was likely Jennings own fear of losing his own health that started the reaction.  I related to this as some people in my life shut me out originally when diagnosed. As some have slowly been returning and I have talked with them I have found out the reaction was a protective one for themselves. I was always the active and healthy lifestyle person so if I got cancer they could too.

Satchel’s Boomerang – Dan talks about choosing to fight again or traveling and enjoying the time he has left since it recurred after the bone marrow transplant.

Saul – Dan talks about doctors and the way many treat patients. About how they forget we aren’t just the disease and only treat that and not the whole person. How doctors and oncologists in particular see many patients pass away and how this must cause them to build a wall up to protect themselves. How death is their enemy and yet they still face it.  Dr. Saul is a specialist Dan goes to see about treatment options for his recurrence. Saul tells dan honestly “I don’t think I can cure you, but I’m going to try”  Dr. Saul reminds me a lot of my specialist. Like him my surgeon is one of the top and one other doctors recommend seeing when no one else knows what to do. He is also honest with me like Dr. Saul is with Dan and I respect that in him.

Against Advice – Dan and Terry get married and Dan talks about the lead up to the rushed wedding and the happy day.

A Last Will – Dan goes to a lawyer to talk about drafting a will to leave is saved sperm to Terry so she can have children. He discusses his thoughts on if he wanted her to have children on her own if he were to pass and does research on the psychological impacts that would have on children. In the end he decides to do it as Terry would make a good mother and research shows it would be fine for the children.

– Sarah H

I can’t imagine going through all Dan did, and then becoming a therapist to those going through the same things.

In this passage, Dan connects with Jacob. Jacob, who loves sports, who knows all about them, who has posters. But as Jacob puts it, he is down in the fourth. Dan comes on day to visit him and the room is empty – everything is gone. Not a trace of Jacob. Dan wants to write something on the wall.

I’ve been there before too. Not in a hospital, but losing someone you love to spend time with, losing some one you care about. And you just want to scream at the world to pause because A VERY TRAGIC THING HAS HAPPENED! But my tragedy is not yours. And Dan’s tragedy is not mine. Yet, when we are grieving, don’t we wish that somehow everyone could suddenly know this person we are missing?

Later, we read about Shapiro’s relapse – which he figures out on a roller coaster. That had to be one literal and figurative ride. But when news spreads, his clinical director calls him and tells him to resign from his program. Confused and upset about this, Shapiro comes to realize it’s because the director has had cancer before as well. And seeing Shapiro with it back, that’s scary.

I’ve been there. Several friends have had relapses, recurrences, and in the rare case a new primary diagnosis. And while I want to be there for them, sometimes my brain focuses on me instead. It’s not that I’m selfish, but it is a scary reminder of what could happen. An in your face reminder that hearing you are NED one day doesn’t mean you will be NED the next. I see where his director is coming from in wanting to create that space – I’ve pulled back from people before as well.

But then, then I get sad and I start to miss my friends. Grief is hard. Anxiety is hard. But life is hard. We can try to avoid bad things, but eventually something will happen. I’ve come to a point where I’ve decided I’d rather have the friendship than the distance from cancer. I am there for my friends, but I also take some time to work on me too. I do give myself space to grieve and work out my anxiety. That way I can be at peace with my feelings, but still be there for my friends to help them in any way I can.

I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t scary and hard. I’d be lying if I sometimes picture myself in their place and have trouble being present for them. But my friends are worth it. Even when it’s hard.

Amidst all of this, Dan and his (now wife) Terry must picture a world without Dan in it. What a load of you know what that must be. When we are young, we are supposed to be healthy. We are supposed to have fun years at college, have time to find ourselves, get married, have kids, and live to a nice healthy age. Right? Isn’t that the way it should be? We all know life does not do what it should. Sometimes the reality of this hits us harder than we can ever imagine. Marriage? Kids? All of that can get muddled with cancer. Are we still desirable? The vows say in sickness and health, but too many of us don’t understand the implication of the “in sickness” side of things. Kids after that? Do we have energy for it? Do we have our fertility intact? Are kids an option? And how does all of this get handled when we step close to the “till death do us part”? I don’t know. But I can’t imagine how it felt to Shapiro to sign his sperm over to his wife. To leave that in the will. To acknowledge some day he might be a father even after he’s gone. I don’t know about anyone else, but I didn’t finish this section with a dry eye.

– Brandie L

Join in next Monday for comments and discussion on the next 20 pages of the book!

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Thanks for joining us for pages 125-148 of Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro!  Join in next Monday for the next 20 pages of the book!

If you’re just joining us, here are some logistics:

The chapters and sections of this book are organized differently than in a book we’ve read together before.  So instead of going chapter by chapter, we’ll go about 20 pages at a time each Monday. We’ll use one more Monday to talk about general feelings from the book and anything else you’d like to discuss.  Join in, in the comments every week!  At the end, we’ll have a book club discussion via video chat!  Also, there will probably be spoilers.  Read along with us!

How are you enjoying our young adult cancer book club?

Welcome to the comments and discussion of the Young Adult Cancer Book Club!  We are reading Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro! Catch up on pages 1-20, pages 20-40, pages 41-59, pages 60-80, and pages 80-106.

Let’s get started!

pages 106-125.

There were three parts of this section that particularly stood out to me:

Rediscovery of Food: Dan talks about how treatment ruined his experience of eating—He couldn’t taste anything, and eating became even more of a chore afterwards. After his transplant he decided to rediscover food by taking a trip to the supermarket and paying attention to everything there. Even though I had just finished a large meal when I started to read I found myself getting hungry because of his detailed descriptions of food. Before transplant he always ate quickly, not really enjoying the food or paying attention. After his supermarket rediscovery he vows to eat slowly and enjoy each bite when his taste buds return.

Chart Note: This section includes a chart note, and like the ones before they seem so cold and clinical to me. Would a doctor that knows you ever write this way? I wonder if these doctors ever stop to think about how it would feel for a patient or family member to read these. A few phrases in particular stuck out to me. “The patient encountered common post-transplant complications…”—Sure, these may be usual complications, but it feels as if this trivializes and simplifies an experience that is both unique and horrible/ scary/ painful/ traumatic. Many of the complications can be pretty horrific, and some of them can be deadly. In fact, a lot of patients and even their family members develop PTSD from these experiences. The note goes on to say that “This represented a fairly uncomplicated post-transplant course.” Is that so? I would be pretty upset if I was reading about this in my own medical record or that of a family member that had a bone marrow transplant. From reading about Dan’s experience, it sure seemed complicated and horrible to me. Even the best “by the book” transplants are complicated and traumatic.

Passionate Yet Uncaring Doctors in the Cafeteria: In this section Dan described a scene in the hospital cafeteria where he saw two doctors passionately discussing their patients, which at first impressed him. He had been impressed that they had so much passion for their work that they seemed to “throw themselves into their work with abandon.” This soon changed when Dan noticed their complete disregard for a blind patient coming towards them, obviously in unfamiliar surroundings and needing their help. Instead of helping the patient find the tray return, they stepped aside so the patient didn’t walk into them, and watched as he banged into the counter and fell down. A cafeteria worker helped him up from the floor, and the doctors went back to their discussion as if nothing had happened. An illuminating experience that demonstrates that sometimes a passion for medicine is more academic than about actually caring for others. This is such a sad disconnect.

– Marc K

 

Join in next Monday for comments and discussion on the next 20 pages of the book!

—

Thanks for joining us for pages 106-125 of Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro!  Join in next Monday for the next 20 pages of the book!

If you’re just joining us, here are some logistics:

The chapters and sections of this book are organized differently than in a book we’ve read together before.  So instead of going chapter by chapter, we’ll go about 20 pages at a time each Monday. We’ll use one more Monday to talk about general feelings from the book and anything else you’d like to discuss.  Join in, in the comments every week!  At the end, we’ll have a book club discussion via video chat!  Also, there will probably be spoilers.  Read along with us!

How are you enjoying our young adult cancer book club?

Welcome to the comments and discussion of the Young Adult Cancer Book Club!  We are reading Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro! Catch up on pages 1-20, pages 20-40, pages 41-59, and pages 60-80.

Let’s get started!

pages 80-106.

In this section Dan discusses a variety of experiences.

• He touches on his relationship with his brother David and how their relationship evolved after his transplant.
• He also tells us about how sometimes little things that nurses or doctors do can have a profound effect on us as patients, even if they don’t realize it.
• He tells us the story about shooting some of his medical staff with a water gun to regain respect and reclaim his hospital room as his own domain.
• He tells of his friends bringing him a basketball hoop with encouraging phrases written on it for his hospital stay.
• The largest section from my assigned pages was about Parole. He tells us about his visits to a prison to help prisoners who are about to go before the parole board. He learns that prisoners sometimes fear being released because of the lack of structure and certainty that comes with being imprisoned. Dan says at the time he couldn’t understand that mentality. Years later he’s in a similar situation being released from the hospital after his transplant. He suddenly is overwhelmed at the idea of being out on his own. He shares the fear and anxiety that overcame him when he is told he will be discharged the next day. I related to this part so much. To go from the constant watchful eye of a medical team to being out in the world, in charge of yourself again is terrifying.

– Whitney C

These pages evoked many different emotions at each stage of the journey Shapiro presents. Here they are in bullet form:

• The IV – the bane and curse of any chemo patient, when they don’t listen to you and don’t understand that having chemo kills your veins and they use you as a pin cushion until they reach the same conclusion – there IS only ONE good vein.
• Life goes on between treatments – I’m sure most can relate to this, you find strength to move on – you go back to doing ‘normal’ people activities. You move on with your career, whatever it may be. You think the ‘cancer’ chapter of your life only to have it strike back with a vengeance. Cancer is truly an empire that strikes back (sorry, had to – total Star Wars nerd here).
• Jodi’s story, that was such a hard moment, a stark reminder how not all of us win the war against cancer. Like any war, there’s always casualties, and they hurt. When he got the same hospital room as her – what emotions must’ve been there, all the memories flooding back with tears. But the honouring of her memory with the poster was wonderful and special.
• His relationship with Terry reminds me of how there’s always that one person that sticks by you through the cancer journey. Sometimes it’s family, a partner, an old friend, a new friend or an organization that connects with. You never knew how much you needed them before, but now the support is so important. Love and kindness take on a whole new meaning. And it makes you stronger so you can face what’s next. There’s always a next.

Let’s see what the next pages of Shapiro’s journey bring.

– Delia M

 

Join in next Monday for comments and discussion on the next 20 pages of the book!

—

Thanks for joining us for pages 80-106 of Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro!  Join in next Monday for the next 20 pages of the book!

If you’re just joining us, here are some logistics:

The chapters and sections of this book are organized differently than in a book we’ve read together before.  So instead of going chapter by chapter, we’ll go about 20 pages at a time each Monday. We’ll use one more Monday to talk about general feelings from the book and anything else you’d like to discuss.  Join in, in the comments every week!  At the end, we’ll have a book club discussion via video chat!  Also, there will probably be spoilers.  Read along with us!

How are you enjoying our young adult cancer book club?

Welcome to the comments and discussion of the Young Adult Cancer Book Club!  We are reading Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro! Catch up on pages 1-20, pages 20-40, and pages 41-59.

Let’s get started!

pages 60-80.

These pages evoked many different emotions at each stage of the journey Shapiro presents. Here they are in bullet form:

• The IV – the bane and curse of any chemo patient, when they don’t listen to you and don’t understand that having chemo kills your veins and they use you as a pin cushion until they reach the same conclusion – there IS only ONE good vein.
• Life goes on between treatments – I’m sure most can relate to this, you find strength to move on – you go back to doing ‘normal’ people activities. You move on with your career, whatever it may be. You think the ‘cancer’ chapter of your life is over only to have it strike back with a vengeance. Cancer is truly an empire that strikes back (sorry, had to – total Star Wars nerd here).
• Jodi’s story, that was such a hard moment, a stark reminder how not all of us win the war against cancer. Like any war, there are always casualties, and they hurt. When he got the same hospital room as her – what emotions must’ve been there, all the memories flooding back with tears. But the honouring of her memory with the poster was wonderful and special.
• His relationship with Terry reminds me of how there’s always that one person that sticks by you through the cancer journey. Sometimes it’s family, a partner, an old friend, a new friend or an organization that connects with. You never knew how much you needed them before, but now the support is so important. Love and kindness take on a whole new meaning. And it makes you stronger so you can face what’s next. There’s always a next.

Let’s see what the next pages of Shapiro’s journey bring.

– Delia M

 

Join in next Monday for comments and discussion on the next 20 pages of the book!

—

Thanks for joining us for pages 60-80 of Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro!  Join in next Monday for the next 20 pages of the book!

If you’re just joining us, here are some logistics:

The chapters and sections of this book are organized differently than in a book we’ve read together before.  So instead of going chapter by chapter, we’ll go about 20 pages at a time each Monday. We’ll use one more Monday to talk about general feelings from the book and anything else you’d like to discuss.  Join in, in the comments every week!  At the end, we’ll have a book club discussion via video chat!  Also, there will probably be spoilers.  Read along with us!

How are you enjoying our young adult cancer book club?

Welcome to the comments and discussion of the Young Adult Cancer Book Club!  We are reading Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro! Catch up on pages 1-20 and pages 20-40.

Let’s get started!

We are just starting so let’s get to it!

pages 41-59.

I felt connected to Shapiro when he started talking about a difference in choice of books. Who I was before treatment was not the same person after treatment. Shapiro has a talent of remembering childhood memories. It makes you feel closer to him! I also enjoyed the way he described Boston, I can actually picture where he is talking about. And what is a memoir without a little romance! Terry is a great addition into his story and shows the vulnerability of love too. Transitions are scary in general but cancer really puts another spin on it. I loved the last bit of these pages as his mother is kind of a wild card! 🙂

– Morgan N

Dan starts off by sharing his love for books and the huge pile of books that he has yet to start reading. He shares how so many of them he is no longer interested in. He wants to read stuff with more meaning. I really connected with this process. It took me back to that place during chemo and shortly after where my time and energy was limited. I longed to sit and share coffee or tea in a local coffee shop with a friend or family. Life had a different value all of a sudden. He continues on to share some heart felt memories of his dad singing and music. He shared how his family was celebrating his last radiation. He shared About how he hoped to feel free but it didn’t. I remember that same feeling of yes we are done. Then a new type of anxiety formed. He talks about falling in love with a new girl and his studies and how he wants to do a meaningful thesis. The thing I took to heart from this small section of the book is life of meaning. All of the sudden we think more about what we really want to be doing and not what we might actually be doing.

– Holli D

Join in next Monday for comments and discussion on the next 20 pages of the book!

—

Thanks for joining us for pages 41-59 of Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro!  Join in next Monday for the next 20 pages of the book!

If you’re just joining us, here are some logistics:

The chapters and sections of this book are organized differently than in a book we’ve read together before.  So instead of going chapter by chapter, we’ll go about 20 pages at a time each Monday. We’ll use one more Monday to talk about general feelings from the book and anything else you’d like to discuss.  Join in, in the comments every week!  At the end, we’ll have a book club discussion via video chat!  Also, there will probably be spoilers.  Read along with us!

How are you enjoying our young adult cancer book club?

Welcome to the comments and discussion of the Young Adult Cancer Book Club!  We are reading Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro! Catch up on pages 1-20.

Let’s get started!

pages 20-40.

In the first half of this section, we learn that Dan’s grandparents escaped Austria during the German annexation of Austria. They faced years of adversity after their escape, yet continued to push through and live the best lives they could. Even decades later, their former neighbor remembered Dan’s grandfather, Edi, and talked about how he was such a help to the community. This led Dan to question whether he could also have such resilience in the face of something so difficult. Clearly, based on the subject of this book, he found that resiliency when he needed it. I think you never know how strong you can be until you’re tested. I think a lot of us can relate to that.

The second half of this section focuses on Dan’s relationship with his father. It seems like no matter what, his dad was always there to support Dan through everything, but cancer seemed like a sort of breaking point. As Dan sat in the doctor’s office asking about his radiation treatment, his dad seemed to fall apart. Yet, through it all, they seemed to maintain a sense of humor about the situation. I can relate to this section very well. My parents were always there to support me in good times and bad, but they had their ultimate test when I was diagnosed with breast cancer 3 and a half years ago. Despite everything, we all maintained our senses of humor. I mean, how can you not laugh as your mom uses a lint roller to remove the loose whiskers of hair from your rapidly balding head? I think it’s important to find a way to laugh, even when times are tough.

– Jessica B

 

Join in next Monday for comments and discussion on the next 20 pages of the book!

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Thanks for joining us for pages 20-40 of Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro!  Join in next Monday for the next 20 pages of the book!

If you’re just joining us, here are some logistics:

The chapters and sections of this book are organized differently than in a book we’ve read together before.  So instead of going chapter by chapter, we’ll go about 20 pages at a time each Monday. We’ll use one more Monday to talk about general feelings from the book and anything else you’d like to discuss.  Join in, in the comments every week!  At the end, we’ll have a book club discussion via video chat!  Also, there will probably be spoilers.  Read along with us!

How are you enjoying our young adult cancer book club?

Welcome to the comments and discussion of the Young Adult Cancer Book Club!  We are reading Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro!  We’d like to extend a HUGE shout out to Dr. Shapiro who has been incredibly wonderful during this process of picking the book and getting them ordered to donate to young adult survivors and caregivers.  We have 2 books left so email info@lacunaloft.org if you’re interested in receiving a free copy!

We are just starting so let’s get to it!

pages 1-20.

Dan was 20 in 1987 when he was diagnosed with Stage IIB Hodgins’s disease. He had a friend who had gone through chemotherapy and had prepared him for the nausea and vomiting and suggested that he smoke marijuana to ease those side effects. His mother is very caring and affectionate towards him and is willing to do anything she can through his treatment, even growing marijuana for him despite the risk of being caught and arrested. Reading about his discovery of cancer brought me back to my own diagnosis. I was diagnosed with Stage IIA invasive ductal carcinoma (breast cancer) at a young age of 29. One of the first steps mentioned to Dan was to save his sperm in a sperm bank. The advice came from a woman of another young cancer patient and she made a comment that the doctors will not tell you about fertility. I think that is a major difference between when he was diagnosed 30 years ago and today because I can remember my first appointment with my oncologist and fertility was one of the first topics covered after diagnosis and treatment options. I’m not sure if it is the type of chemotherapy or if the drugs have changed over time but all of the pre-meds before my chemotherapy treatments completely eliminated nausea and vomiting and wasn’t a side effect that I experienced. In Dan’s preparation, his mother bought him a bong and told him to buy his drugs. When seeing how much he was paying for a small amount, she took the seeds and started growing them in her very own garden.

– Jodie O

 

Join in next Monday for comments and discussion on the next 20 pages of the book!

—

Thanks for joining us for pages 1-20 of Mom’s Marijuana by Dr. Dan Shapiro!  Join in next Monday for the next 20 pages of the book!

If you’re just joining us, here are some logistics:

The chapters and sections of this book are organized differently than in a book we’ve read together before.  So instead of going chapter by chapter, we’ll go about 20 pages at a time each Monday. We’ll use one more Monday to talk about general feelings from the book and anything else you’d like to discuss.  Join in, in the comments every week!  At the end, we’ll have a book club discussion via video chat!  Also, there will probably be spoilers.  Read along with us!

How are you enjoying our young adult cancer book club?