In 1996, Lance Armstrong, a young cycling phenomenon, was diagnosed with testicular cancer. In 1999, he won the Tour de France. “When I was sick I saw more beauty and triumph and truth in a single day than I ever did in a bike race.”
Armstrong L, Jenkins S.
It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life
Berkley Trade
ISBN: 0425179613
When he was 25, Cohen, an up-and-coming television journalist, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease for which there is no cure. He worked as a journalist, TV producer, a writer and teacher. He writes: "These pages are not about suffering.... This book is about surviving and flourishing, rising above fear and self-doubt and, of course, anger."
Cohen R
Blindsided: Lifting a Life Above Illness: A Reluctant Memoir
Harper Collins
ISBN: 0060014091
This was among the first books by a patient that addressed taking charge of one’s own health.
Cousins N.
Anatomy of an Illness
W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393326845
This book chronicles the author’s life over the 20 years since her first cancer diagnosis. An, intimate and humorous book about doctor/nurse/patient relationships and the crucial role that they play. It also addresses the role of supportive family and friends in healing. Annie Smith is one of the women profiled on the accompanying DVD.
Smith A.
Bearing Up With Cancer
Second Story Press
ISBN: 1-896764-80-0
A database of compelling video clips of personal and patient experiences with over 40 different illnesses and health conditions. This site is for patients, their caregivers, family and friends, doctors, nurses and other health professionals to enable them to learn more about the illness experience.
From the DIPEx Research Group at the University of Oxford: