Someone on one of the MSA-related online support groups today recommended this book:
Light in the Shadows: Meditations While Living with a Life-Threatening Illness
by Hank Dunn
Second Edition, 2005
The author says “living with a life-threatening illness is more than just medical treatment decisions, so I felt this book was necessary to expand on the emotional and spiritual struggles brought on by disease.”
You can order the booklet ($7) online. At the present time, the PDF of the entire 80-page is available at no charge for download. See:
There are four parts to this book:
Part One — Living Each Day Fully
Part Two — Walking the Valley of the Shadow of Death
Part Three — The Heart and Soul of Medical Decisions
Part Four — The Journey to Letting Be
I’ve copied parts of the booklet’s introduction below.
Robin
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Excerpts from
Introduction
Light in the Shadows: Meditations While Living with a Life-Threatening Illness
by Hank Dunn
In my more than two decades of work with those living with a life-threatening illness I have learned some valuable lessons about living in the midst of difficult situations. I have served as a chaplain in a nursing home, with a hospice program and in as hospital as well as volunteer in a home for formerly homeless men with AIDS. As difficult as it is, what seems most important is to live each day as fully as possible. I have seen people live a life of meaning and purpose even while severely disabled and seriously ill.
In these few pages I have gathered the most helpful insights these patients have taught me. This book is about finding hope in hopeless situations; being grateful in the midst of great losses; experiencing a connection to things eternal; living a meaningful life while considering the possibility of death; and getting to the root issues in medical treatment decisions.
In my first book, ‘Hard Choices for Loving People,’ I outlined some of the medical treatment decisions we might face. But living with a life-threatening illness is more than just medical treatment decisions, so I felt this book was necessary to expand on the emotional and spiritual struggles brought on by disease. …
Each of these selections is written as a meditation—some thoughts to be pondered. They are meant to be companions for those with a life-threatening illness and their families. At the end of each piece is a thought, indicated by a check mark, to carry with you through the day. My hope is that these words will help you live each day fully and that you can go into the future with courage and peace.