The Patient Person Author:Bob Anderson, Sarah Anderson For many years, readers of The Advocate in Baton Rouge,LA, came to rely on the reporting of health reporter Laurie Smith Anderson, whose award-winning articles brought the latest news in the prevention and treatment of disease. — But in October 2005, when Anderson was diagnosed with incurable cancer, she gained even greater insights into the chal... more »lenges of coping with major illness - and the value of living each day to its fullest.
Anderson's experiences with cancer, recorded in her weekly "The Patient Person" columns, were an instant hit with readers, inspiring thousands of e-mails and finding an audience far beyond Louisiana.
Now, answering the demand of loyal fans everywhere, this book version of "The Patient Person" collects Anderson's award-winning columns for the first time, yielding a work sure to inspire even more admirers of her poignant and profoundly moving essays.
True to Anderson's background as a health reporter, "The Patient Person" occasionally touches on the technical aspects of disease - the drugs, side effects and psychological issues that come with cancer or any life-threatening illness.
But the heart of these essays - and the key to a universal appeal that transcends typical health reporting - is their sublime celebration of life, even in the deep shadow of mortality.
Here we find poetic comtemplations of sunsets, tender moments with family, wise reflections on living with purpose, and even, under the most trying of circumstances, the quiet humor that was Anderson's signature. There are also essays by Anderson's husband, Bob, and their daughter, Sarah.
Collectively, the columns are an instant classic. They remind us that suffering can become an act of witness, widening our window into the best and truest part of the human condition.« less