Damn the diagnosis

What would you do if you were told you had three months to live?In 1983 at age 43, Joel Nathan was diagnosed with a rare type of leukemia for which there was no cure. He did what many of us would do: he did everything he could to save his life. Diets, meditation, vitamins, Reiki, homeopathy, psychic surgery, spiritual healing, faith healing and Eastern mysticism. Nothing worked. Now, more than 31 years later, Joel has written a powerful and moving account of how, thanks to the lessons of his childhood mentors in South Africa and the miracles of modern medicine, he overcame his first diagnosis as well as recurrences, lung cancer, five-way coronary bypass surgery, kidney failure and stroke. Damn the diagnosis is a powerful sequel to his successful and inspirational first book, "Time of my Life" (Penguin Books, 1992). It is a story of courage, told without self-pity and with rare honesty.It gives hope.
About the Author: Joel Nathan was born and educated in South Africa where he became a successful creative director in advertising. Disgusted by the Apartheid system, he emigrated with his family to the UK where he continued his career. Seeking more sunshine, he moved his family to Australia where, after two years and at age 43, he was diagnosed with a rare and incurable type of leukemia. Through and after his eventual recovery, he was, for several years, a Patient Advisor to the Cancer Council of Victoria and a facilitator in the Palliative Care Unit at La Trobe University. He was a member of the National Institute of Clinical Studies' Program into Pain Management. In 2000 he was a signatory to the Charter of Paris at the World Summit Against Cancer where he realized that while medicine was focused on prevention and cure, almost no one discussed how patients and their families were supposed to cope in the meantime. Upon his return, Joel founded Can-Survive, the first volunteer survivor-based telephone counselling service in the world dedicated to patients and families facing cancer or other life-threatening illness. In recognition for establishing this unique service and for his ground-breaking program in training and educating doctors and palliative care specialists, nurses, and allied health professionals to be more effective in dealing with their patients while attending to their own, emotional and spiritual needs, in 2008 Joel was honored with an Order of Australia Medal. He has been guest speaker at a number of events such as the International Psycho-oncology Conferences in Australia and Canada, and at nursing conferences in Australia and New Zealand. He has presented papers on survival, carer burnout, grief and loss, and held inspirational workshops on how to make the most out of life. Joel is the author of Time of My Life (Penguin Books, 1992), and What to do when they say, "It's Cancer" - A Survivor's Guide (Allen & Unwin, 1998) published in nine countries and four languages, and endorsed by leading medical specialists in Australia and the USA. Joel is married to his second wife, René, and between them have 6 sons and 11 grandchildren (to date). Joel holds degrees in Psychology and Philosophy and works as a specialist counselor with individuals and families living with cancer or other life-threatening illness. For more information, go to www.joelnathan.com.au