Uplift

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Published by: Atria Books
Release Date: September 27, 2011
Pages: 416
ISBN13: 978-1451654677

Summary

UPLIFT: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors is a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes for those with breast cancer. It contains useful woman-to-woman hints—things the doctor doesn’t say—practical advice on topics ranging from what deodorant to use during radiation, to what minimizes nausea during chemo, to how to feel feminine and upbeat. This advice comes first-hand, in the words of 350+ breast cancer survivors, their sisters, children, parents, lovers, and friends.

Reviews

“Invaluable to cancer patients…A sort of support group between covers.”
–Library Journal

“Intensely personal and extremely enlightening, UPLIFT is chock full of the kind of information you would want to share with a friend who’s been recently diagnosed. Better yet, you should read it yourself and learn how to be the best possible friend to someone during this tough time.”
–bookreporter.com

“Completely absorbing and deeply moving…An invaluable resource.”
–Health and Fitness Magazine

Backstory

I put UPLIFT together because, as a survivor, I saw the need for a book that treated breast cancer as a do-able experience — and, indeed, the response to it has been remarkable. Published in August 2001, the book was immediately cited by women with breast cancer, and the doctors and nurses who treat them, as the single most important volume to keep on their nightstands. A second edition, this one in paperback, was published in May 2003 and contains new material in the form of a chapter on recurrence. The third edition, a 5th Anniversary Volume, adds stories from survivors of five or more years, and a the fourth edition, a 10th Anniversary Volume, adds thoughts from survivors of ten or more years, a discussion of the pros and cons of genetic testing, and a glance at what UPLIFT does for readers and the medical community.

What UpLift Does

I have written many books, but the one – the one – of which I am most proud is UPLIFT. This book helps women at a terrifying time. It boosts their spirits, convinces them that they will get through treatment and thrive. It makes them smile in the dark of the night – and this is important. There are, in fact, studies suggesting that emotions affect body chemistry, that happiness leads to an increase in illness-fighting cells in the bloodstream, that laughter can reduce pain. Does smiling actually make us live longer? I don’t know about that. But it sure enhances our quality of life.
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Foundation

Barbara donates all of her proceeds from the sale of Uplift: Secrets of the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors and Does a Lobsterman Wear Pants? to her charitable foundation for breast cancer research. So far, the sale of these books has allowed the Barbara Delinsky Charitable Foundation to fund thirteen years of a research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. The focus of the fellowship is to launch the career of a surgical oncologist into research, hopefully offering returns to the field of cancer research for decades to come.

For more information, please send a note through the CONTACT page or mail to the Barbara Delinsky Charitable Foundation, PO Box 812894, Wellesley, MA 02482-0026.