Cellmates: Our Lessons in Cancer, Life, Love and Loss

‘‘I’m Rose. John and I shared nearly eight years of our lives together. This is our story: a story of how two ordinary people live with the diagnosis, the check-ups, the disappointments, the relief, the questions, the answers, the operations, the recovery, the emergencies, the denial, the acceptance, the anger, the pain, the loss, the love, the fear, the frustration – and the happiness.’ Shortly before he died, John made Rose promise to share their story – to tell what they had learned, practically and emotionally, and convey the hope they found even in the darkest of times. He had discovered her hidden stash of letters and diary entries, which she’d been writing to keep herself sane, neither censoring nor intending them to be read. The result is an astonishing, searingly honest, real-time account that reveals our profound capacity for love and how the human spirit can endure the most harrowing of tests to emerge dauntless, flying free. (Caution: contains graphic descriptions of suffering that some may find distressing.)

About the Author :
Rose T Clark worked as a journalist and writer in corporate communications before taking time out to care for her partner with cancer. Since his death and her recovery, she has refocused her writing to help raise awareness of cancer and issues relating to cancer care. Cellmates is her first book.

Review :
Although I see patients with incurable illness every day and I like to think I understand a lot about what people endure, I was surprised by the impact of [this] story. This is a beautifully written book. It is firstly the story of two people who love each other and the journey, at times tumultuous, of that love story. Alongside this very personal, honest and touching account of their love is the struggle with cancer and all that it encompasses for both John, as patient, and Rose, as partner and carer... I think this is an outstanding read for all health care professionals... We talk about 'integrated care' but rarely about 'integrated outcomes'. ... It is a picture which no professional could ever build from reading a textbook or even an in-depth discussion at consultation.This book is a powerful gem: profound, honest, a love story, a journey through cancer, compellingly told. Professor Marie Fallon, St Columba's Hospice Chair of Palliative Medicine, Edinburgh Cancer Centre and University of Edinburgh. (From the foreword) "Any reader opening [this book] will be taken to the heart of John and Rose's relationship and the gruelling experience they shared of John's cancer. It is a beautifully written testimony to the human spirit when stretched to its limits. The remarkably frank honesty of writing presents a truly challenging read no matter how experienced you are in the field of cancer care or of human suffering. But I encourage the reader to continue reading even through tears because this is both an enlightening and inspiring human story. I truly believe this book should be on the reading list for all those involved professionally in cancer care... As a Clinical Psychologist I strive to embrace a sense of human resilience and offer permission for human emotion in the face of serious challenges in life - this book succeeds in both. It will encourage others caring for someone with an incurable cancer and it will inspire all of us who fear cancer that there is a way through even such a daunting challenge." Dr Elspeth Salter, Centre Head, Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre (from the foreword)