Pretty Girls Don't Get Cancer

By M. Patricia Diaz

Book Overview

Pretty girls don't get cancer is a testimony of the power of a strong community, a grain of faith, and personal resiliency during a cancer diagnosis and healing process. In this memoir, M. Patricia Diaz reconnects with the phase of her life when as a teen she came close to death.

At age 16 she was diagnosed with a stage four terminal cancer. Back then she lived in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Like anyone that age, Patricia loved to ride her bike with her friends under the tropical sun. Although she had everything she needed - even a cute boyfriend, spending time with her friends was the perfect escape from those teenage problems she skillfully kept tucked inside.

The last year of high school, everything changed. She started to loose energy, got frequent headaches, and one day, she even stopped riding her bike. Once her family noticed the deterioration of her health, her parents took her to the doctor and she was hospitalized. Shortly after, the entire community showed their support to the family in different ways: prayers, chicken soup, books, unsolicited advise, and visits at all hours of the days and nights.

After a few misdiagnosis, a team of doctors seemed to be on the right track. But once the doctor told her about malignancies, she asked him if she had cancer and his response was evasive. She asked to speak with her sister Zoe - she knew Zoe wouldn't lie to her. This was partly because of the relationship they had built growing up with a single father. Her sister was also her story-teller and a person she looked up to.

It was in that conversation that Zoe confirmed to her that she had cancer. And after what seemed to be a long pause, Zoe shared with M. Patricia a few words of wisdom. With those inspiring words Zoe planted seeds of hope that sprouted into a determined desire to heal and learn.

Cancer changed M. Patricia's life. But beyond cancer, this story is a transformational expedition into the ego - one that touched the lives of many people. It was a journey the author walked alongside her family and friends. Healing physically, against all medical predictions, turned out to be only one part of the story - one that taught her life and spiritual lessons she was not chronologically ready to digest. To her surprise, the most important lessons were anchored in the past, reachable only through focused determination to heal her body, her mind, and her spirit.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1098312244
• ISBN13: 9781098312244
• Release Date: September 2020
• Publisher: Bookbaby
• Length: 332 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.7"