Dancing in the Rain: Surviving Breast Cancer and Learning to Embrace Life is the story of five breast cancer survivors who are asked to dance on stage with Beto Perez, the creator of Zumba, at a fund raiser for Susan G. Komen for the Cure in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It chronicles their personal journeys through breast cancer and their roles as breast cancer survivors in the community. Dancing in the Rain is full of valuable resources including a list of websites at the end of the book for anyone facing a breast cancer diagnosis. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. The myriad of treatment options and decisions can be overwhelming. How do you know what's best for you and your family? How do you make your needs clear to your doctors? There is no single treatment option that's right for everyone. You have to take control and get the facts so you can fight on your terms. Lisa Sayers, Cat Brennan, Margie DiCello, Susan Veitch, and the author Frances Joyce met at a fund-raiser for Susan G. Komen for the Cure in Pittsburgh. The event was sponsored by Zumba International and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The women felt an instant connection both as breast cancer survivors and Zumba enthusiasts. They decided to share their stories hoping to encourage other women to stand up and take control of their treatments. They want everyone to know that breast cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence. Life doesn't stop; you just learn to schedule your treatments around it. There will be laughter as well as tears, and once you are diagnosed you become a survivor. You join a powerful and loving sisterhood of women who have been where you are and who have come through treatment with dignity, grace, and a much needed sense of humor. This book was also written for the families and friends of women or men who have breast cancer. Lisa, Cat, Margie, Susan and Fran tell you what it's like to have breast cancer so you can better understand what your loved one is going through. Learning about the reactions of their families and their friends during their journeys will help you understand some of your own feelings during this uncertain time.
About the Author: Frances Joyce lives in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania. She is a freelance writer and the content coordinator for three local publications in the Pittsburgh area. She grew up in Palmetto, Florida and attended Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina where she studied Business Administration. In October 2008, she was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and she spent the next two years in treatment. She is now cancer free. Since her cancer diagnosis she has become an avid supporter of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and 10% of all profits from this book will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure in Pittsburgh. She has written two other books which are works of fiction and will be published soon. Look for Life's Work and Lie to Me on Amazon.com in the near future. Her next writing project will be a non-fiction collaboration with Carole Munne about the perceptions and experiences of five women from different countries coming to live in America.