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| Publication Date: 19 Jan 2017 |
|---|
| Publisher: SPCK Publishing |
| Page Count: 176 |
| Author: Gillian Straine |
| ISBN-13: 9780281075027, 9780281075034 |
Cancer: A Pilgrim Companion
A handbook for those with cancer and those supporting them, reflecting on the spiritual and theological aspects of the journey through diagnosis and living with the disease.
In stock
ISBN-13
9780281075027-grouped
From £11.99
The Revd. Dr. Gillian K. Straine is the Director of the Guild of Health and St. Raphael. An Anglican Priest, she also has a doctorate in Physics from Imperial College London and is the author of Introducing Science and Religion: A path through polemic (SPCK, 2014). Gillian was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 21 and has been in remission since 2002. She lives in London with her husband and two young children.
It is rare to find a book that is a true spiritual companion in the midst of illness and suffering. But Gillian Straine’s beautifully-observed book offers empathy, compassion and deep solace to those who are walking the lonely and dark path that cancer often brings. Few spiritual writers can turn their own experience of suffering and depletion into something wholesome and sustaining for others. This book not only manages that, but does so with realism, authenticity, wisdom, grace and hope. This is a profound and practical book that nourishes and nurtures – soul and body alike. Gillian Straine has given us a gem to treasure.’
Gillian Straine has produced a deeply personal and searingly honest theological reflection on her own experience of joining what she calls the ‘cancer community’. Tackling major themes such as ‘meaning’ and ‘vulnerability’, she explores the ‘gift of cancer’ – which is the way in which it exposes the myth that we are truly in control of our own lives. Her recurring emphasis on the importance of relationship and her use of pilgrimage as a metaphor for her own journey makes this a valuable and readable book of practical guidance and encouragement for fellow travellers. The message is clear and simple: God is with us, and there is hope.
A ‘searching, wise book’ that ‘gives valuable guidelines’.
About
Someone in the UK is diagnosed with cancer every two minutes. A cancer diagnosis divides life into 'before' and 'after' and plunges those facing the disease into a wilderness of uncertainty, fear and suffering.
In this wise and compassionate book, cancer survivor and Anglican priest Dr Gillian Straine considers some of the unhelpful imagery that bombards those diagnosed with the disease. How often do we say or hear that someone has lost their battle with cancer or is fighting hard?
This suggests that cancer can be defeated by sheer force of will alone, or that someone who does not 'conquer' cancer was not fighting hard enough.
Gillian Straine suggest another way through the 'cancer wilderness' by following the journey of Jesus himself through the darkness of the garden of Gethsemane and his journey to death on the cross, and beyond to the glimmers of hope afforded by the resurrection.
Drawing on theology, Scripture and the arts, Gillian explores the taboos of cancer and offers solace and hope to all those facing the disease and their friends and supporters.
In this wise and compassionate book, cancer survivor and Anglican priest Dr Gillian Straine considers some of the unhelpful imagery that bombards those diagnosed with the disease. How often do we say or hear that someone has lost their battle with cancer or is fighting hard?
This suggests that cancer can be defeated by sheer force of will alone, or that someone who does not 'conquer' cancer was not fighting hard enough.
Gillian Straine suggest another way through the 'cancer wilderness' by following the journey of Jesus himself through the darkness of the garden of Gethsemane and his journey to death on the cross, and beyond to the glimmers of hope afforded by the resurrection.
Drawing on theology, Scripture and the arts, Gillian explores the taboos of cancer and offers solace and hope to all those facing the disease and their friends and supporters.
Author
The Revd. Dr. Gillian K. Straine is the Director of the Guild of Health and St. Raphael. An Anglican Priest, she also has a doctorate in Physics from Imperial College London and is the author of Introducing Science and Religion: A path through polemic (SPCK, 2014). Gillian was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 21 and has been in remission since 2002. She lives in London with her husband and two young children.
Reviews
It is rare to find a book that is a true spiritual companion in the midst of illness and suffering. But Gillian Straine’s beautifully-observed book offers empathy, compassion and deep solace to those who are walking the lonely and dark path that cancer often brings. Few spiritual writers can turn their own experience of suffering and depletion into something wholesome and sustaining for others. This book not only manages that, but does so with realism, authenticity, wisdom, grace and hope. This is a profound and practical book that nourishes and nurtures – soul and body alike. Gillian Straine has given us a gem to treasure.’
Gillian Straine has produced a deeply personal and searingly honest theological reflection on her own experience of joining what she calls the ‘cancer community’. Tackling major themes such as ‘meaning’ and ‘vulnerability’, she explores the ‘gift of cancer’ – which is the way in which it exposes the myth that we are truly in control of our own lives. Her recurring emphasis on the importance of relationship and her use of pilgrimage as a metaphor for her own journey makes this a valuable and readable book of practical guidance and encouragement for fellow travellers. The message is clear and simple: God is with us, and there is hope.
A ‘searching, wise book’ that ‘gives valuable guidelines’.
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In this wise and compassionate book, cancer survivor and Anglican priest Dr Gillian Straine considers some of the unhelpful imagery that bombards those diagnosed with the disease. How often do we say or hear that someone has lost their battle with cancer or is fighting hard?
This suggests that cancer can be defeated by sheer force of will alone, or that someone who does not 'conquer' cancer was not fighting hard enough.
Gillian Straine suggest another way through the 'cancer wilderness' by following the journey of Jesus himself through the darkness of the garden of Gethsemane and his journey to death on the cross, and beyond to the glimmers of hope afforded by the resurrection.
Drawing on theology, Scripture and the arts, Gillian explores the taboos of cancer and offers solace and hope to all those facing the disease and their friends and supporters.