Fight Back With Joy

I love reading stories of strong women who are fighting courageously for themselves. “Fight Back With Joy” by Margaret Feinberb is just that kind of book. Feinberb chose the word JOY for her year long journey. Even when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her pain, frustration, joys, and blessing is illuminated through-out this wonderful book. I was inspired by her story. Though our illnesses are different. The story of courage and finding what joy looks like now is the theme through-out this book.

At the end of “Fight Back with Joy” Feinberb gives ideas on how to deal with many types of things to help those who are ill and those who want to support those sick. Such as, how to care for yourself when you are the caregiver? How to ask for help and take care of yourself when sick?

The biggest thing that struck me in Feinberb’s book is when she spoke about how friends were all over asking how they can help and call her and then they suddenly stopped. She summarized that it was because they didn’t know what to say because they were uncomfortable with being around a sick person. I have experience this exact dilemma. I am blessed to have some family members and friends who have stuck by me and whom I can call when I need comforting. I also started a blog to help me cope with the pain and frustration of living with an incurable disease and a trach. I to understand why the friends whom I thought were going to be supportive weren’t and the ones whom I didn’t think would be have been. It’s amazing to me how much you learn about yourself and others when you become ill.

Even though this book is about a woman battling breast cancer. It is still a wonderful reference and inspirational story for us who are battling a chronic illness such as Vasculitis, Rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia. Because these disease also use chemo drugs to battle them. I think we all can relate and be inspired and encourage each other.