My little novellas have each been thoroughly researched. For the trilogy - Ill Will, Beauty Full, and Winning Wishes - I traveled to over a half dozen cancer centers in three different states over a period of five years. Through informal conversations with patients, spouses, friends, doctors, nurses, and other care providers, I found common recurring themes among their concerns: 1. an insidious dependency upon established protocols with no attention to the needs of the individual patient; 2. a rigid adherence to the medical providers always knowing best; 3. a lack of choices being offered not only with treatment, but also with treating side effects. ( I found the same stances often occurred with heart disease when I ventured to that chronic disease. )
This is not to say that there are not enlightened doctors, nurses, and other medical practitioners out there. They are indeed out there, but they are few and far between. God and the Universe bless them when they are found! However, the majority of medical professionals leave their patients feeling cowed, intimidated, and with no voice.
So, I chose to write a series of stories from the patients' perspective. These are intended to get a conversation started and to empower the patients' voices. Let's celebrate that power!
Only joy from the Diva,
Anne