Walking the
Walk
—Annette Leeds, author of
The Other
Side of Cancer: Living Life with My Dying Sister and
Founder of Find1Cure.com.
Cancer is not limited to those diagnosed. It
affects family, friends, and even co-workers. I witnessed cancer up-close and
personal. It is emotionless, unbiased, and destroys lives. After a long
year of living with my sister, Theresa, who succumbed to advanced stage
pancreatic cancer in 2016, I sat down with the journal I’d kept to keep track
of every single day of the last year of her life and wrote The Other Side of
Cancer: Living Life with My Dying Sister.
In one year, Theresa had endured so much pain and
sickness from cancer. Yet, she forged through with laughter, determined not to
let it steal her joy. Can you believe
she planned her daughter’s wedding? As children, I looked up to her and as
adults, I envied her. She made amends with people. Our one-hundred-pounds Boxer, Riley,
became Theresa’s guard dog,
remaining close by her side. I sensed he took his job very seriously, keeping an eye out for anyone trying to take her from us. When her
bedroom door was ajar, I listened to
her talking to him in a quiet voice, and I could hear his dog tags jingle when
she rubbed the back of his neck. “Keep me safe, Riley,” she said. “Don’t leave
me.” About Riley, she often said, “He’s
coming with me.” She was right. Months after Theresa passed, Riley passed, too.
He waited for her to go first.
When I reflect, I think about Dolly Parton’s song,
“I Hope You Dance.” Theresa did just that, she danced to her own beat. To celebrate my sister’s life, I founded
Find1Cure.com. My dream is to start a “comfort” home for people who have
elevated to hospice care. I want to bring awareness and reassurance to those
suffering from this callous disease and the loved ones who help fight the
fight. I want to do whatever I can, not only in the name of my big sister,
Theresa, but for the many men and women who valiantly and courageously fight
the fight.
About the Author
Annette Leeds is a literary journalist. Born Annette Marie
Guardino to her mother who is Belgian and father who is Sicilian, she is a
native Californian and the youngest of six children. Being quite creative,
Annette’s strong desire to write led her to her first book, a psychological
drama, followed by two television comedy scripts. She has had other
entrepreneurial ventures, including a logo sportswear clothing line.
Her latest book is her biography/memoir, The Other Side of
Cancer: Living Life with My Dying Sister.
Email: annetteleedsauthor@gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/find1cure
Instagram: https://linktr.ee/annetteleedsauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annetteleedsauthor
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/AnnetteLeads
FB Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/annetteleedsauthor
Pearl Page Reading:
https://www.audioacrobat.com/note/CP8kxyzX
About the Book:
Title: THE OTHER SIDE OF CANCER: LIVING LIFE
WITH MY DYING SISTER
Author: Annette Leads
Publisher: Find1Cure
Pages: 194
Genre: Biography/Memoir
Author: Annette Leads
Publisher: Find1Cure
Pages: 194
Genre: Biography/Memoir
BOOK BLURB:
The Other Side of Cancer: Living Life with My Dying Sister
is a passionate story of two sisters and their extraordinary bond and
friendship reignited in the face of cancer.
Theresa conquered many hurdles in her lifetime, with
victorious highs and shattering lows, but at fifty-four years old, she took on
the biggest challenge of her life: advanced stage pancreatic cancer. Like most
families, there are those times when moments in life tend to strain or burden
relationships. Theresa chose humor in the face of death. Confronting her fate
with grace, she taught everyone the true meaning of living life without regret.
To those who loved her, she gave an amazing gift—showing them how to move past
the sadness and truly enjoy the precious time she had left.
Annette, her baby sister, didn’t realize her strength until
she held her sister’s life in her hands. As a writer, she did the one thing she
thought would have the most impact. She picked up a notebook and chronicled the
journey with Theresa, revealing the strength and inspiration of an amazing
woman.
The two siblings shared a room as kids, and in the end, it
was the same. A week or so before Theresa died, she told Annette, “This has
been the best year of my life.” Most people would have thought she was crazy,
but her little sister knew exactly what she meant.
Read more and order your copy: http://annetteleeds.com/books
Available in hardcover and eBook on Amazon.com
and BarnesandNoble.com
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