Books
I’ve been writing professionally since 2005, when my first article – research into music – was published. That spurred me on to engage a general rather than an academic audience, notching up a publication CV of features, profiles, columns and reviews in magazines, short stories in collections, and book ghostwrites.
Cancer Treatment Breakthroughs:
Milestones, lessons and inspiration for patients, family and survivors
Tim Ladhams and Jackey Coyle (Wilkinson Publishing 2022)
Cancer is the world’s biggest health problem, manifesting at an ever-increasing rate, and alongside the human cost is an enormous economic impact. With so much information available this detailed guide demystifies cancer treatment and highlights the rate of progress the scientific and medical communities are making in their understanding of cancer and, therefore, how best to treat it.
Cancer Treatment Breakthroughs gives the reader an overview of the disease – how and why people develop cancer – and how treatment has evolved throughout history. It covers recent treatment breakthroughs including early diagnosis and testing through to surgical techniques, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, combination treatments, personalised medicine, clinical trials, and psychosocial oncology.
Each chapter contains a detailed case study that shares someone’s experience with that treatment, as well as interviews with internationally recognised experts in their fields.
We also explore living with cancer and how to build resilience after cancer treatment, with evidence-based tips for exercising, eating well, complementary treatments, sleeping better, and simple recipes and ideas for maximising nutrition during this time. Families and friends will find ways to support someone with cancer and improve quality of life with palliative care.
Reviews
The only book that truly makes sense of the complexities of cancer. Informative, jargon-free and practical.
Cancer Treatment Breakthroughs is a book that I would love to have had 20 years ago when I was diagnosed with cancer and felt so overwhelmed and underprepared.
Tim Ladhams and Jackey Coyle have created a wonderful book that intelligently melds science, psychology and personal narratives to create a comprehensive overview of the current state of cancer research, medical treatments and management strategies. The manner in which the personal stories are woven throughout the book provides invaluable insights into the lived experiences of cancer sufferers and survivors.
This book does not set out to be an encyclopaedia of cancer but it is, in some ways, encyclopaedic.
While warning that there are many kinds of cancer, the opening chapter lists the most well-known and most feared. Each subsequent chapter begins with a well-written story of a cancer sufferer’s journey.
This book strikes a remarkable balance, with the medical procedures – surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and combination of treatments – incorporating a personal introductive narrative, but then moving into analytical and professor-based details of treatment.
This is followed by the question of living life to the full, and the authors have added the need to eat wisely, supported by a large collection of very easy recipes and recommendations.
In the End: A practical guide to dying
Jackey Coyle (Fernlea Community Care 2021)
Dying is an important part of living. Yet too often we push aside conversations about dying as being scary or confronting. This isn’t helped by popular culture – since ancient times, it has shown death as the enemy, as something to be defeated or cheated.
Yet it’s going to happen someday – being born and dying are the two events that will happen to all of us.
Fernlea is a day-respite centre in Melbourne’s eastern hills, set up to support people with life-limiting illnesses and their carers. When the team invited me to prepare an outline of a book to help kick off discussions about dying, I was immediately interested in the idea.
Fernlea’s philosophy is based on looking after the whole person, and that inspired me to think about dying through what I see as the five parts of the self. We start off with our body, mind and soul, and we build onto these – by forming our relationships with the people around us and acquiring the possessions we surround ourselves with – to make up the tapestry of our lives.
In the End is not just for people with a life-limiting illness; it is for families, carers, friends, health professionals, counsellors, and those who just want to be well prepared.
All proceeds from the sale of In the End will go towards helping Fernlea continue its important work supporting people with life-limiting illness.
Read more here.
Reviews
This book is a perfect resource for families, carers, health professionals and support workers. It will be very useful to anyone who is dealing with all aspects of end-of-life experiences.
