Cancer - I Won!

About the Book

Few books written about victory over the seemingly overwhelming diagnosis of cancer have been written in such boldly spoken, yet eloquent language so devoid of self pity that is the essence of that mysterious quality we call courage. CANCER...I WON! No wonder, Zosia Ettenberg, the author who had polio at six months of age but somehow did a degree in Physiotherapy at McGill University, got married, adopted two boys, then overcame, with stunning resolve, the diagnosis of her children with fetal alcohol syndrome, raised them well, survived post polio syndrome, the blows of losing her job as Director of Education and Quality Assurance at Langley Memorial Hospital, the loss of her home, the death of her husband, the loss of her campaign for the Provincial Liberal Nomination, and as if that weren't enough poverty, widowhood, unemployment and cancer. Any one of these would be enough to sink even the strongest "sail into the gale." Zosia, just moved into a mobile home, got a job, became the top Sales Rep. for her company for Western Canada in under two years, and, oh yes, had a mastectomy, chemo, beat the cancer and went to Mexico to live her life long dream of swimming with the dolphins. And, in the meantime we, her stunned and sometimes even disbelieving friends, (I mean how much can one person survive?) nominated her for "The 2008 Courage to Comeback Award" which Zosia won. If you want to know how she survived and was triumphant over all these ills you have to read the book "CANCER....I WON". It has her heartbeat on every page.

About the Author

Zosia was six months old when her first challenge came to pass, she had polio. She didnâ*™t learn to walk until she was three years old after the first of a series of many surgeries. This prompted her interest in becoming a Physiotherapist, graduating from McGill University in 1966, and she had a very successful 25 year career in that field. She met and married her husband Mel in her thirties, adopted two brothers from Poland and then moved to the West Coast. Six years later due to downsizing and the advent of Post Polio Syndrome she was forced to change career paths and went into Financial Asset Management. It also turned out that her adopted boys had special needs. In 2001 knee surgery put her in a wheelchair and she had to give up that career too. While waiting for the surgery to correct her knee problem, her husband, the love of her life and caregiver developed Cancer and passed away in 2003. She was just starting to get her life in order when she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2005 and this is where this story starts.