I enjoyed reading The Fault in our Stars. It is a great love story between Gus and Hazel Grace, who met at a cancer support group for teenagers. Gus has an osteosarcoma, which resulted in a lower leg amputation. Although going through surgery and chemotherapy was difficult for Gus he has an optimistic outlook, as he puts it “I’m on a roller coaster that only goes up, my friend.” He seems quite confident that he has beaten his disease because his diagnosis was a year and a half ago, plus his survival rate is 80%. This is quite high for cancer. Hazel Grace on the other hand has an advanced thyroid cancer which has spread to her lungs, making it difficult for her to breathe. Unfortunately she knows it’s only a matter of time before she dies
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I felt that may have been a big factor in their attraction to each other.
Last winter I treated a husband and wife at the same time. Kathy and John live in the same small community as me. I knew Kathy because she is a wonderful math teacher that I first met during my children’s conferences and again later at school events and fundraisers. 17 years ago Kathy was diagnosed with breast cancer and was treated at the facility where I work. Having known me for many years, Kathy seamed at ease having me help her in such a vulnerable time in her life. Kathy did well with her treatments; it made me feel good to see her look so healthy in the years that followed.
Unfortunately Kathy was diagnosed with a second breast cancer, at the same time her husband John was diagnosed with prostate cancer. This time around Kathy did not need radiation therapy, but received chemotherapy while John started radiation treatments. John would let me know when Kathy was having chemotherapy and I would visit with her in the infusion suite. John’s courses of treatments were scheduled Monday through Friday for seven weeks. During this time John and Kathy shared a lot of their feelings and fears with me. John said he wasn’t happy that he has cancer, but was glad he had it when he did. He felt that he could better …show more content…
It made the characters in the Fault in our Stars more realistic for me. I feel that they were able to make a stronger connection with each other due to their similar experiences.
In the book, Hazel Grace mentions that social interactions felt awkward and that people felt self-conscious around her due to her diagnosis. Gus having a cancer himself was able to overcome the awkwardness and make Hazel Grace feel like a normal person. In chapter two Hazel meets Gus’s parents who surprise her by not asking about her oxygen or diagnosis. Which as Hazel puts it “was weird and wonderful.” I feel people with cancer want to be treated like normal people, but also be able to talk about their fears and feelings; which Hazel and Gus, and John and Kathy could
I felt that may have been a big factor in their attraction to each other.
Last winter I treated a husband and wife at the same time. Kathy and John live in the same small community as me. I knew Kathy because she is a wonderful math teacher that I first met during my children’s conferences and again later at school events and fundraisers. 17 years ago Kathy was diagnosed with breast cancer and was treated at the facility where I work. Having known me for many years, Kathy seamed at ease having me help her in such a vulnerable time in her life. Kathy did well with her treatments; it made me feel good to see her look so healthy in the years that followed.
Unfortunately Kathy was diagnosed with a second breast cancer, at the same time her husband John was diagnosed with prostate cancer. This time around Kathy did not need radiation therapy, but received chemotherapy while John started radiation treatments. John would let me know when Kathy was having chemotherapy and I would visit with her in the infusion suite. John’s courses of treatments were scheduled Monday through Friday for seven weeks. During this time John and Kathy shared a lot of their feelings and fears with me. John said he wasn’t happy that he has cancer, but was glad he had it when he did. He felt that he could better …show more content…
It made the characters in the Fault in our Stars more realistic for me. I feel that they were able to make a stronger connection with each other due to their similar experiences.
In the book, Hazel Grace mentions that social interactions felt awkward and that people felt self-conscious around her due to her diagnosis. Gus having a cancer himself was able to overcome the awkwardness and make Hazel Grace feel like a normal person. In chapter two Hazel meets Gus’s parents who surprise her by not asking about her oxygen or diagnosis. Which as Hazel puts it “was weird and wonderful.” I feel people with cancer want to be treated like normal people, but also be able to talk about their fears and feelings; which Hazel and Gus, and John and Kathy could