Free Downloads Better: How I Let Go Of Control, Held On To Hope, And Found Joy In My Darkest Hour
NATIONAL BESTSELLER“I have breast cancer.” When Good Morning America anchor Amy Robach revealed her shocking diagnosis on live television in November 2013, the seasoned news reporter embarked on the most difficult and illuminating journey of her life. In this intimate memoir she retraces the twelve months following her announcement and speaks candidly, for the first time, about how her illness affected her family life and her marriage, tapped into her deepest fears and strengths, and transformed her in ways she never could have imagined. Only weeks earlier, in September 2013, ABC producers asked Robach to get an on-air mammogram to highlight Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Her first instinct was to say no—there was no history of cancer in her family, she was only forty years old, and she felt strange drawing attention to herself when she had no personal connection to the issue. (She’d been meaning to get her first mammogram that year but had conveniently “lost” the prescription.) Her colleague Robin Roberts, herself a cancer survivor, convinced her to do it with one simple sentence: “I can pretty much guarantee it will save a life.” To Robach’s surprise, the life she saved was her own: Tests revealed malignant tumors in her breast, and she immediately underwent a bilateral mastectomy, followed by six months of chemotherapy treatments. Better is more than a story of illness and recovery. Robach recounts the day she and her husband, Andrew Shue, got the terrible news; the difficulty of telling her two young daughters, and the challenges of carrying on with the everyday duties of parenting, nurturing a fledgling second marriage, and managing a public career. She lays bare the emotional toll of her experience and mines her past for the significant moments that gave her the resilience to face each day. And she describes the incredible support network that lifted her when she hit bottom. With honesty, humility, and humor, Robach connects deeply with women just like her who have struggled with any kind of sudden adversity. More important, she shares valuable wisdom about the power of the human spirit to endure the worst—and find the way to better.Advance praise for Better “By selflessly sharing the incredible story of her unexpected journey with breast cancer, Amy has given countless others hope. Better is the perfect title for her beautiful book. Sitting next to her every morning at GMA, I’m blessed to experience how my dear colleague and friend makes everything and everyone better.”—Robin Roberts, co-anchor of Good Morning America “Amy is tough as nails and tenderhearted. The perfect combination, no? I have loved her for years, but never more than when I watched her beat cancer with such strength and grace. Her book is full of hope and healing—for Amy, and for all of us.”—Hoda Kotb, co-host of Today “[Robach’s] beautiful new book, Better, is an exploration of her battle with breast cancer. What I love about it is that she never claims to be fearless; she was petrified. . . . Super inspiring stuff, the kind we need way more of in general.”—Meredith Rollins, editor in chief, Redbook “With the amazing background to Robach’s discovery of her disease, plus her inspirational tenacity during her career, readers will likely never miss their annual mammogram again. For all patient health collections.”—Library Journal
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (September 29, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0553392980
ISBN-13: 978-0553392982
Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 0.9 x 9.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #176,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #48 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Diseases & Physical Ailments > Cancer > Breast Cancer #299 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Journalists #478 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Television Performers
Amy's story of how she battled breast cancer is inspiring. Within a few months of being diagnosed with cancer she was scheduled to cover the Olympics in Russia and when her family, friends and medical team told her that it might not be the best idea her response was that she wasn't going to let cancer take anything else away from her. She talks about specific on-air events that I can so vividly recall, events where there was no sign or indication that she was dealing with a medical issue, but in the book she details how difficult it was getting through those days. I don't know how she did it. I admire her for sharing as much as she did. In her book she discusses all the trials and battles she endured, but she also goes deeper and gives the reader some insight into what makes her tick and how she got to where she is today. As she states in her book, cancer can be very isolating - even with an amazing support group - but her openness in sharing her experiences makes you realize that others have been through this and come out the other side. I'm glad she decided to share her story and I wish her nothing but the best going forward.
I loved this book simply because the story was written as if it was my life. When I was diagnosed in April 2011, it stunned me initially. I cried my eyes out for a good couple of days, no lie. I was totally inconsolable. But when I decided that the mourning and pity party was over, I got to the business of planning my next move. I automatically came to the conclusion that a Bilateral Mastectomy was the only answer for me, although it was only in one breast. So my story is pretty much like Amy's minus the chemo, radiation, Tamoxifen...And like Any, I know there's a good chance that despite all the treatment in the world, cancer can rear it's ugly head again. And you just deal with it if it does come back...I love what her husband said, and I take it in as my new mantra 'There’s no need to die before you die!'...Such good words to live by...it reminds you that life is for the living and we have to live it one day at a time...No one knows when our time is up and worrying about won't don't much but stress you out, while life passes you by. Although I know the reason why it can't happen, I do wish that I could personally talk to Ms. Robach, because our stories are so alike that I would've liked to share my story with her!
I bought this book for my wife. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2011, and we went through the most intense trauma of our life as we came to terms with her mortality. Both of our lives were turned upside down by her diagnosis and the next year fundamentally transformed our marriage for good.As regular GMA watchers, we both identified with what Amy and Andrew went through as they dealt with their own breast cancer diagnosis, and when the book was released, I immediately bought it as a gift for my wife. As she was reading it, she could not stop talking about how much she could identify with Amy and Andrew's experience, and encouraged me to read it, too.Both of us read the book really quickly because of what an easy read it is. We both identified with every step of the journey that Amy and Andrew went through and found Amy's exploration of her own experience totally echoed the journey we have been going through for the 5 years since my wife was diagnosed.Amy's drive to continue in the face of such adversity is hugely inspiring. Andrew's chivalry in defense of the love of his life is the stuff of legend. The support that they provide each other through the most frightening turmoil a couple can experience is precisely what true love is about, and exactly what my wife and I experienced as we lived this journey for ourselves.This is a terrific must-read.
I expected more about Amy's cancer journey and not so much about her journalism career. As a breast cancer survivor I like to hear stories of strength and courage and gratitude. If anything, Amy had some mighty divine intervention in her case, and I didn't hear that expressed at all. I came away thinking less of Amy and I didn't want to.
As a breast cancer survivor I am rating this book just OK. I bought it because I love her on GMA. I didn't care to hear so much about her childhood I think that could have been cut in half. She touched a little on her hair loss, but never really said if she wore a wig or not. I personally know a LOT of women who have gone through Chemo for BC, but none who didn't lose all of their hair?? I am not sure if she didn't touch on all her side effects or maybe she was just lucky to not have too many. I was shocked she could go to work and travel during this time. How LUCKY she was not to be on the couch for 6 months. I didn't love the fact that she ended the book on the fact that 30% of all women will have a reoccurrence, how depressing as a survivor to read as the book wrapped up. As I ended the book and put it away I felt very sad that I have that 30% in my head. Not a happy way to end a book. It was worth reading, but took me awhile to get through the child hood stuff. When she touched on anything that had to do with the cancer I would not put it down, but like I said the other stuff I was board with.......As a survivor I could probably write and ENTIRE book just on my cancer experience myself!
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