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April 7, 2013 - Book Press Release

Finding Peace in the Storms

Defeating the Fears of Chronic Illness

A Wife’s Journey with Breast Cancer

by Yinka Vidal

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This is the story of Lisa Anderson, (not her real name) the wife of a wealthy man in Chicago suburb in her battle with breast cancer. This book is a rare look into the journey of a woman with her closest friend, and her husband when she is afflicted. The greatest battle she has to fight is not the cancer, or the disease as much as her FEARS that invade her soul. Instead of surrendering to her fears, Lisa learns to confront and fight those fears one by one, until she becomes triumphant over each of them setting her soul free. In the end, she lives a very enjoyable life even when facing the odds of her illness. In so doing, she finds a greater joy in living. Instead of the progressive morbidity of human soul from the emotional burden associated with fears while waiting for death, she finds the true source of solace.

In her victorious battle with the enemy of the mind called FEAR, she discovers the true essence of life, and the joy of living, even when facing the obvious.

Lisa was married to Anthony. She has a friend, a single mother, who helps her carry her emotional burden during very difficult times. With great commitment and dedication to each other, both women discover the values of true friendship, along the very difficult journey of dealing with personal afflictions.

Lisa Anderson’s story is that of great inspiration, courage and hope of an enjoyable life in spite of the obvious challenges. It is helpful for anybody dealing with chronic, or terminal illness, or for those caregivers facing daily frustrations of caring for their loved ones. She discovers her greatest joy in life, even in the midst of her afflictions, along the dark alleys of the unknown. She finds the greatest source of peace and joy in life.

This book tackles the challenging question that people are scared to address when facing grim diagnosis from the doctor. It is about what we do when facing eminent death from a progressive chronic illness. Discussing about wining the battle over a disease is very exhilarating. What happens if instead of a cure, a person is facing eminent death of the physical body? Should a person start wasting away and counting the days when death comes and claim such a precious life while the human soul decays from within? Many times in life, it is not so much about what happens to us, but about the way we choose to respond to the challenges we face. Some people will accept their challenges and live life to the fullest even in the midst of their afflictions. Others will degenerate into progressive chaos of both the physical and the soul morbidity. Such death becomes very painful and renders a person helpless and crippled.

The higher road to cruise is not subjecting a person to continuous fear. But dealing with the most important fears associated with the illness and being sure to use the rest of the time making life more meaningful. Lisa Anderson like any young woman dying of breast cancer worried about who would replace her. Will her husband’s new wife erase her memory? Will her life be meaningful in the end? Who will take care of her children while her husband was busy with daily business operations? How would she find another woman to replace her without facing the old romantic jealousy? Will the illness lead to physical disfigurement rendering her unattractive? How will her children deal with the wasted body of a previously attractive mother who gave birth to them? Will her husband forget about her once she has a new wife? Will her children keep or erase her memory? Will her husband’s new wife be a gold digger, or one of those wives with knives ready to take advantage of a vulnerable man looking for a replacement wife? Who would be spending her money after she was gone? What will life be on the other side of human existence?

Finding Peace in the Storms is not a book about sorrow, or progressive morbidity of a person wasting away, but quite the contrary. It is divided into two major parts. The first section deals with the physical aspects of the storms we face daily in life. The second part deals with the spiritual component of human life when dealing with the storms. It deals with the internal enemy called "SELF." The book is designed to be very entertaining. It is very exciting, funny, riveting, emotionally captivating, and sometimes titillating in the intimate conversations between these two women who became very good friends. They both opened up to each other, digging very deep into each other’s personal and emotional issues, while revealing and baring their souls to each other.

The story narrates the life of these two middle age women; Lisa Anderson dying of breast cancer, and her friend Susan Mangelina Henshaw who helps to carry her friend’s afflictions. Don’t we all need a friend like Susan during difficult times? The bond of their friendship is far greater and even stronger than the blood tie between two sisters. They both help each other discover and see life in different perspectives as Lisa continues to face and fight to conquer her fears one by one. In the book, Susan who supports her friend throughout her ordeal becomes not only an investigative journalist; but also becomes her best friend’s therapist along the way while Lisa’s husband does his part along the journey. The pain and joy they shared, the disagreements and resolutions they both discover, the traveling they did together, the essence of life and the beauty of human existence they embrace, add luster to the entire life of Lisa Anderson. In the climatic end of the story, the cancer becomes irrelevant. The greatest achievement between these two women is finding the true essence of life and the power of true friendship. The mystery of life is not about waiting to die while being emotionally crippled, but for making love to life itself while we are still alive. Lisa Anderson finds the true source of solace in spite of her illness; she finds the source of inner peace.

The book tackles one of the most difficult issues about death and dying many pastors are afraid to address. Lisa Anderson’s life personifies how not to make dying a painful process, but instead rediscover the beauty of life in finding peace, even when we face with difficult challenges. Although life is made up of so many challenges, just like the eagle rises above the storms, we too can learn to rise above the storms of life and find joy, even in the midst of our afflictions. In the process, death loses its power to dish out fear! It becomes irrelevant. Instead, the human soul is enshrouded with eternal peace on the way to eternity. The greatest lesson about the book is, it uncovers the keys to dying with joy and ascending to Heaven in great and glorious jubilation!

Finding Peace in the Storms: Defeating the Fear of Chronic Illness - A wife’s Journey with Breast Cancer by Yinka Vidal, Published By Lara Publication, 245 pages, $8.99 Ebook, ISBN #978-0964-081857.

For Purchase: The book is due for release in paper form October 2013, EBook edition is now available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble Books for purchase. www.closerwalk.net/afflicted.htm

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