Gilda's Disease

by M. Steven Piver

Book Overview

Gilda Radner died of ovarian cancer on May 20, 1989. When the New York Times published Research Links Diet and Infertility Factors to Ovarian Cancer, by medical writer Larry Altman, on July 25, 1989, Gilda's husband, Gene Wilder, wrote the author to ask some pointed questions. Altman urged him to contact Dr. M. Steven Piver at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York. Wilder and Piver met via telephone and immediately recognized their...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1573920894
• ISBN13: 9781573920896
• Release Date: September 1996
• Publisher: Prometheus Books
• Length: 184 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Reading Prognosis Is Remarkable

Gilda Radner was a comedienne that is remembered as the years pass as a unique character, especially as one of the original cast of Saturday Night Live. Her Roseanne Roseannadanna or Baba Wawa skits were enough to make someone collapse to the floor from laughter. She married fellow actor Gene Wilder, whom we remember from such film as Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein. They were a happy and no doubt "comical" pair; however, Gilda was diagnosed with Stage IV Ovarian Cancer on October 25, 1986. She had been having symptoms previously, but the doctors had been unable to detect the signs of the disease until that time. She underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and many other treatments but passed away on May 20, 1989. After her death, her husband kept her memory alive with his actions to bring about ovarian cancer awareness. Gilda's Disease by Dr. Steven Piver and Gene Wilder talks about a remarkable woman. The book is written from three perspectives: It has insight from Gilda's autobiography It's Always Something, insights and an introduction from Gene Wilder, and medical knowledge from Dr. Piver. The book not only describes Gilda and Gene's last years together, but also the medical aspect of what happened and why. It is a very informative text, and has a very good description of a first-hand experience of cancer. It explains how cancer is a multitude of diseases that are characterized by the unrestrained growth of mutated cells. It describes the genetic defects of cancer cells, like the mutation of the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 proteins. The book was very powerful, with pieces that were full of sorrow and laughter. Because it's not written by Gilda, we sympathize with both her and her husband by hearing the story from both sides. The book teaches how to deal with cancer and how it can affect anyone's life. It teaches that time is priceless and that a positive outlook can mean so much. It also stresses early detection, especially for women at high risk for ovarian cancer. It does not scare the reader but brings about awareness of what to do if you are at risk, and how to lower your risks. I would highly recommend this book for someone who wishes to find more about ovarian cancer or how to deal with it either personally or with someone else, and even to someone who simply wants a good read. It really is an excellent book, and the prognosis of the book is remarkable.

Great Primer on Ovarian Cancer

I was healthy, young and active when,out of the blue, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The next thing I knew they cut me up, filled me with poison (chemo), blasted me into premature menopause and made my hair fall out. I was so overwhelmed.A kind friend gave me this book. It gave me a clue about what was happening. I read and re-read it and began to understand my disease. With understanding comes hope.If you know someone with ovarian cancer -- give them (and yourself) this book.

Gilda's Disease

A great first read after diagnosis. Very informative about the why's and wherefore's regarding ovarian cancer made personal with excerpts from Gilda's Radner's book: It's Always Something (a great second read).The author writes with authority and compassion, a rather rare combination in the medical profession. A welcomed book at a time when one needs facts combined with heart.

I laughed as I wept; life-or-death questions answered.

One of the most feared cancers is ovarian cancer, with good reason. It may be asymptomatic; what early symptoms do appear are vague, diffuse, and often are not taken seriously by either women or their doctors. As a result, the disease is often advanced before diagnosis occurs--as in the tragic case of Gilda Radner. This book lives up to its subtitle: sharing personal experiences and a medical perspective on ovarian cancer. The personal experiences are excerpts from Gilda's book "It's Always Something", excerpts from letters to Gene Wilder, and comments from him. I defy any one to be unmoved by these pages. The voice of the cancer victim and the cancer survivor come through, sometimes tragic, sometimes comic, always honest. The medical perspective, interwoven with the pertinent experiences, is equally valuable. I think it is superb. Dr. Piver has a remarkable talent for clear and succinct treatment of such complex and scary topics as surgical staging, the 30 different types of ovarian cancer, survival rates and alternative therapies. His historical perspective and obvious mastery of the field enable him to answer the most difficult question-- with a minimum of gobbledegook, and with up-to-date information. This book is almost like having a humane and sympathetic gynecological oncologist across the desk. Of course, this book could save your life or that of someone you love. Information is one of the best weapons we have against this killer. I am in awe of how much information and wisdom these gentlemen have packed into 184 pages. I could not recommend it more highly.

Great source of information

The book explains the experiences of Gilda and Gene. It provides an understandable decription of the symptoms, treatment, and the experience of having Ovarian Cancer.It helped me understand what had happened, and was about to happen to my Mother. How the Cancer could have gone so far with so many doctors looking for a cause of all the symptoms they could not find a cause for, till it was too late