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About the Book So – You’ve Survived Cancer. Now What? by Theresa Kilpatrick and Alexis Hilliar-Hine Over 12,000,000 people have survived cancer and as they do, questions arise about what happens after cancer, what the “new normal” looks like. PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online! Cancer survivors, their caregivers, and their physicians face many issues once chemotherapy and radiation have ended. At a time when a celebration seems in order, new questions arise. How do you define what a survivor is anyhow? What kinds of things happen after cancer? When will I feel normal again? Why is my parent/spouse or significant other/friend acting this way? What can a physician do to help the cancer survivor and their caregivers? Three stories are offered, each with a different perspective: one is short story written by a young lady just out of high school who was diagnosed with cancer at 20 months of age and watched her father die from cancer and her grandmother be diagnosed with throat cancer. The second story is written by co-author Alexis Hilliar-Hine, mother, niece, nurse, lesbian who had a double mastectomy at age 33. The third story is by co-author Theresa Kilpatrick, wife, grandmother, aunt, former teacher, 2-time lymphoma survivor, stem cell transplant recipient and caregiver to her husband who has stage 4 prostate cancer. Many things occur after cancer, and the book details over 50 of these, including attitude, “chemo” brain, dental concerns, diet and nutrition, emotions, health insurance and medical bills, long-term radiation after-effects, sex after cancer, spirituality, and weight gain or loss. In addition, there are chapters concerning childhood and cancer, cancer and stem cell research, suggestions for care at the end of life, the 9 reasons why cancer is a gift, types of cancer, and cancer and cancer survivor websites for further information. This book is about giving hope back for those who have had cancer touch their lives.
Theresa Kilpatrick Theresa Kilpatrick was born November 29, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois, where her father was discharged at the end of World War II. The family moved to East Lansing, MI in 1948 so that her father and mother could open up a wholesale restaurant supply business. She actually began writing at age 6 with most of the stories revolving around horses. Terry began to work at the store at age 10 and by the time she was 12, was keeping most of the books for the family business. At the age of 15, her father was dying so the family moved to Los Angeles, CA to try and prolong his life; while there, Terry attended University High School. After her father’s death, the family returned to Michigan. Terry graduated from East Lansing High School, received her Associate in Arts degree (major: Spanish, minor: Psychology) from Lansing Community College. In her freshman year, Terry won a scholarship to attend summer courses at the University of Salamanca in Spain, earning a Certificate of Completion. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree (majors: Spanish and English; minors: Psychology and Sociology) and Master of Arts degree (independent study curriculum with emphasis on bilingual/multicultural education) from Michigan State University. After receiving her BA, she went back to get a K-8 teaching certificate. Terry worked for the Lansing School District in a variety of positions: instructional assistant in the migrant and Title I programs, classroom teacher, bilingual resource teacher. Title VII Bilingual Coordinator, monitoring and compliance, grant writing, staff development, program development, fiscal management, parent involvement, early childhood education, and evaluation. She also developed and scripted a 30-minute educational video and developed 2 television shows for the Lansing School District. She has also taught an educational course at Lansing Community College. Working with a book broker in New York, she arranged to have free books donated to the Lansing School District to serve children in poverty. It was through the book broker that she was introduced to Joseph Campbell, one of her all-time favorite authors, and The Masks of God series. She has served in leadership capacities in 14 community organizations; served in a leadership capacity in a state professional organization; consultant to schools around the nation and an Indian reservation in Canada; presenter at several local, state, national and international professional conferences; developed and scripted a 30-minute educational video; developed and implemented 2 television programs for the Lansing School District; developed and coordinated fundraisers for local, county, state and national politicians; worked with Michigan State University in asset development conferences; consultant to General Telephone Co. (Public Relations Department), Michigan Society of Gerontology, Oakland University, College of Boca Raton; Michigan Department of Civil Rights (Preventive Services Division) and Albion College; piloted a Future Teacher Education Program; volunteer in physical therapy unit at Sparrow Hospital; volunteer for Father John’s Clothing Fund for Needy Children; first female and first non-Hispanic President of the Michigan Association for Bilingual Education. She helped develop and implement a 15-agency group, including churches, to coordinate, reduce and streamline costs for local, state and federal government agencies. At age 41, Terry met her future husband, Tom, and after an 8-month courtship, they got married by a long-time friend who was a justice of the peace, whom Terry got to know while working on his first election campaign. Tom and Terry have 9 grandchildren and 23 great-nieces and –nephews. Terry enjoys taking them on adventures and she and Tom have travelled with some of them to several states. Their big event is having Santa and Mrs. Claus come to the house at Christmas. She and her husband are passionate about travelling and history. They have been to Canada, the Caribbean, Great Britain, Spain, Portugal, France, and Monaco several times. Their house abuts a large county park where they enjoy watching the deer, coyotes, pheasants, birds and other wildlife. Her other hobbies are reading (mostly non-fiction), writing, cooking, silk ribbon embroidery, genealogy, photography, scrapbooking, walking and volunteering for the National Marrow Donor Program, Relay for Life and the United Way. Terry and Reema Butt are also in the talking phase of starting up a non-profit organization, Two Teaspoons at a Time. In 2010, Terry established Riversmeet Publishing, LLC, and along with niece Alexis Hilliar-Hine, co-authored So – You’ve Survived Cancer. Now What? Terry is working on her next book: Goldilocks and the Three Drain Inspectors: An Adult Fable for Modern Times and a cookbook with recipes collected over 40 years. She has also been a contributor in the Red Cedar Oncology Cookbook, 2010. She is also working with new authors to publish their books. Contact her at Terry@riversmeetpublishing.com.
Date Recorded: 8/23/2013
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