Melanoma – Leonberger Life

This is a Leonberger blog but sometimes I post about books that I want to promote. This post is a review and a promotion of a very good and important book called “The Winding Road: A Journey of Survival” Paperback – July 30, 2022 by Miriam Hurdle.

Front cover of the book "The Winding Road" by Miriam Hurdle. — Click on the image above to go to the paperback version of her book on Amazon

The paperback version of the Winding Road, which is what I bought, is 148 pages, ISBN 979-8842330812, item weight 9.9 ounces, dimensions 6 x 0.34 x 9 inches. You can buy The Winding Road from Amazon, as a paperback, hardback or e-Book. The paperback version is currently $6.99 on Amazon, and the hardback is $25.28. The Kindle version is $1.99 or free if you are part of Kindle Unlimited.

About the Author

Miriam Hurdle is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). She published four children’s books at twenty-six years old. Her poetry collection received the Solo “Medalist Winner” for the New Apple Summer eBook Award and achieved bestseller status on Amazon. She has a Doctorate of Education from the University of La Verne in California.

Click her to visit is her website

Click her to visit is her Goodreads page

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These are her published books on Amazon

Review of The Winding Road

This book is the gripping story of Miriam Hurdle’s fight to survive an aggressive cancer. She is an accomplished author, and therefore she was able to tell her traumatic story with intelligence, clarity and honesty. The organization of the book, the storytelling, book design, editing, it is all very professional at the same as the story is personal and deeply touching.

During a hysterectomy in the summer of 2008 a mass was discovered, and it turned out to be melanoma. Melanoma is an aggressive skin cancer that usually does not appear in internal organs, at least not initially. This made the situation both unusual and quite dangerous. In 2007, melanoma in the female organ had less than 300 cases reported worldwide.

Survival was not the only thing that Miriam had to fight for. There were also insurance issues, her work situation, finances, etc., that weighed heavily on her mind and the minds of her family. Add to that the brutal but necessary treatment. She fought courageously with a lot of resolve, and her family and her community gave her a lot of support. The book makes it clear how important this is in this kind of situation. The people around you can make a big difference making sure you don’t lose hope.

I can add that my mother was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, another aggressive cancer, and it was not discovered early. She died at the age of 56. Miriam’s story resonated with me because I recognized a lot of things from her story even though her and my mother’s cancer were not the same. For example, I’ve seen the brutal effects of chemotherapy. What Miriam went though is extremely difficult. I am originally from Sweden, which has national healthcare, so unlike Miriam we were spared from having to deal with insurance issues.

This book is about the power of resilience, courage, hope, community and faith in the face of a cruel disease, which unfortunately many of us will face during our lifetimes. Miriam is a great writer whose genuine and lucid writing could serve as a guide for all of us as we prepare to face unknown traumatic situations. I highly recommend this book to everyone. We should all learn something about the journey before we face it.

This blog is primarily about Leonbergers, especially our late Leonberger Bronco, or Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, which was his full name. I also review Leonberger books and sometimes I review books that are not about Leonbergers but that I love and want to promote. This post is one of those. I am reviewing The Winding Road: A Journey of Survival Paperback – July 30, 2022 by Miriam Hurdle. This paperback is 148 pages, ISBN 979-8842330812, item weight 9.9 ounces, dimensions 6 x 0.34 x 9 inches. You can buy it from Amazon, as a paperback, hardback or e-Book. The paperback version is currently $6.99 on Amazon, and the hardback is $25.26. The Kindle version is $1.99 or free if you are part of Kindle Unlimited.

This book is a gripping story of Miriam Hurdle’s fight to survive an aggressive cancer. She is a skilled author, and she was able to tell her traumatic story with clarity and honesty.

The front cover of the book The Winding Road: A Journey of Survival by Miriam Hurdle. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book. — Front cover of the book The Winding Road: A Journey of Survival by Miriam Hurdle. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.

Below I am posting my Amazon review for The Winding Road.

One Woman’s Encounter with Aggressive Cancer Told with Intelligence, Clarity and Honesty

This book describes the journey of survival of a woman, Miriam Hurdle, who was diagnosed with Melanoma in an internal organ. Melanoma is an aggressive skin cancer that usually does not appear in internal organs, at least not initially. This made the situation both unusual and quite dangerous. The cancer was discovered by chance during a hysterectomy.

Survival was not the only thing that she had to fight for. There was insurance, her work situation, finances, etc., that weighed heavily on her mind and the minds of her family. Add to that the brutal but necessary treatment. Luckily things worked out for her, and her family and her community gave her a lot of support. The book makes it clear how important this is in this kind of situation. The people around you can make a big difference making sure you don’t lose hope.

My mother got multiple myeloma and it was not discovered early, and she died at the age of 56. So, Miriam’s story resonated with me because I recognized a lot things from her story even though their cancers were not the same and the outcome was not the same. What Miriam went though is extremely difficult. I am originally from Sweden, which has national healthcare. Insurance is an additional burden that every American cancer patient must deal with that we were spared from. So, in that regard our journey was easier. Unfortunately, it did not end well for us.

Miriam is a great writer who writes with clarity, intelligence, and honesty about a very traumatic situation. I think this book can serve as a great help to anyone who may face this situation. In fact, cancer is so common that we are all likely to be touched by it at some point. Therefore, I highly recommend this book to everyone in order for all of us to learn something about the journey before facing it.