Cancer: The Unexpected Gift

is a compilation of stories that profile individuals and families who have taken a frightening medical diagnosis and turned it into a positive gift.

Medical oncologist Dr. J. Patrick Daugherty is familiar with many who are living well while living longer. Together with three-time cancer survivor Edie Hand, they share inspiring personal anecdotes from individuals who openly express the doubts, fears, perplexities, and positive reflections they experienced after their cancer diagnoses. Each story is introduced with a summary and concluded with relevant biblical passages that further illustrate lessons learned by patients and their families.

Two-year-old Austin was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and after more than three years of chemotherapy, he remains in remission. His mother received the gift of living one day at a time. Ken survived metastatic colon cancer before developing prostate cancer which later spread to his bones. He searched for answers and found significance in his life, receiving the gift of service to others.

Each of the people profiled in this collection have faced the enemy of cancer and its subsequent suff ering. Together, they share the extraordinary lessons they have learned-not in dying, but in living.

This is a unique Louisiana cookbook that teaches the fundamentals of Louisiana's Cajun and Creole cuisines and explains their similarities and differences. Filled with traditional recipes field tested for their ease of preparation and delicious flavorings, Cajun and Creole Cooking with Miss Edie and the Colonel"" consists of three parts. The first part discusses the basic terms, techniques, tools, and ingredients of Louisiana cooking. The second part analyzes the varied ethnic influences?French, Spanish, Italian, African, and American Indian?that have contributed to Cajun and Creole cuisines. Significant events in Louisiana culinary history are highlighted, as well as unique cultural food customs. The final section consists of 150 recipes, including: sauces, breakfast dishes, appetizers and dips, soups and gumbos, entrees, vegetables, and desserts.""

The Last Christmas Ride"" is an inspiring story of a woman who overcomes heartbreak and adversity through faith and family and emerges stronger than ever. It reminds us that all of us have obstacles on our life journey, and we must try to experience and share the joy of life along the way. The story begins with the four Blackburn children in an idyllic setting on a northern Alabama farm. Their days are filled with horse riding, wild adventures, elaborate fantasies, and climbing to the top of a nearby Indian mound to dream about their futures. They can hardly anticipate what will happen to them. Despite the most overwhelming tragedies, ""The Last Christmas Ride"" is an uplifting story based on actual people and events.""

Recipes, memories, and photographs compiled by the people who knew Elvis best. More than 150 family photos. Nearly 300 recipes, including many of his favorites, some from his favorite restaurants and Memphis juke joints.

The Last Christmas Ride"" is an inspiring story of a woman who overcomes heartbreak and adversity through faith and family and emerges stronger than ever. It reminds us that all of us have obstacles on our life journey, and we must try to experience and share the joy of life along the way. The story begins with the four Blackburn children in an idyllic setting on a northern Alabama farm. Their days are filled with horse riding, wild adventures, elaborate fantasies, and climbing to the top of a nearby Indian mound to dream about their futures. They can hardly anticipate what will happen to them. Despite the most overwhelming tragedies, ""The Last Christmas Ride"" is an uplifting story based on actual people and events.""

A busy, harried career woman is forced to pull her car into a quiet and peaceful veteran's cemetery when she has mechanical trouble. After calling for help, she decides to leave the hot car and sit on a bench beneath a shade tree, overlooking the neat rows of crosses. As she waits impatiently, fiddling with her PDA and laptop computer, she hardly notices an elderly woman who comes from nowhere to sit beside her. The old woman begins a conversation, ignoring the businesswoman's lack of interest, and then proceeds to tell her?without even asking if she wants to hear it?what turns out to be an amazing story. It is the tale of a young soldier and his journey from an idyllic small-town home to a World War II battlefield on an island in the South Pacific. The soldier writes a long letter every day to the girl back home that he pledged to marry when he returned from the war. He talks of his desire to raise a family and become a minister as they had planned. Then, in a heroic act, the young soldier saves the lives of several of his buddies but, in the process, he is seriously wounded and loses his eyesight. When the young soldier returns home, he is bitter and refuses to marry his sweetheart. He claims he does not want to saddle her with the responsibility of caring for a cripple for the rest of his life, turning his back on her and God. She tries to share with him her outlook on life, her belief that God uses such tragedies to direct us toward achieving greater things in our ride through life, but the soldier refuses to listen and shuts her out of his dark, hopeless world. However, God does have bigger plans for both the soldier and the woman. With the help of some of the men whose lives he saved, the soldier's fiance makes him see God's purpose and that he can not only be a miracle himself but lead others through rough road on life's perilous ride. Then the businesswoman, captivated by the old woman's story, experiences a miracle in her own life. A final revelation shows the busy executive that her stop at the soldiers? cemetery that day, and her encounter with the old woman and a couple more "angels," were no mere coincidences. The mystery of how these three people and their fates are intertwined will offer hope for those who are hurting or who have loved ones of their own fighting a distant war. The story is a salute to veterans everywhere, regardless the war, and the sacrifice they make for their country. It is also a story of those who are left behind and the sacrifices they make in wartime as well. This theme resonates strongly with what is happening in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places today. But this is primarily the story of a love and faith that even a world war could not kill and of all the good that comes from what appears to be tragedy.

Cancer: The Unexpected Gift

is a compilation of stories that profile individuals and families who have taken a frightening medical diagnosis and turned it into a positive gift.

Medical oncologist Dr. J. Patrick Daugherty is familiar with many who are living well while living longer. Together with three-time cancer survivor Edie Hand, they share inspiring personal anecdotes from individuals who openly express the doubts, fears, perplexities, and positive reflections they experienced after their cancer diagnoses. Each story is introduced with a summary and concluded with relevant biblical passages that further illustrate lessons learned by patients and their families.

Two-year-old Austin was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and after more than three years of chemotherapy, he remains in remission. His mother received the gift of living one day at a time. Ken survived metastatic colon cancer before developing prostate cancer which later spread to his bones. He searched for answers and found significance in his life, receiving the gift of service to others.

Each of the people profiled in this collection have faced the enemy of cancer and its subsequent suff ering. Together, they share the extraordinary lessons they have learned-not in dying, but in living.