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Warrior in Pink: A Story of Cancer, Community, and the God Who Comforts
“I managed to make my way to the car through blurry, tear-filled vision. Inside the car I tried to calm down by looking out the window as cars drove by. Everyone was going somewhere. And I sat and watched. My life had suddenly come to a standstill.”
When young mother Vivian Mabuni was diagnosed with breast cancer three days before Christmas, she struggled to know how to respond. How do you tell your children you have cancer? How do you allow yourself to be vulnerable and ask for your family’s support? And how do you continue to trust God? Through her battle, cancer patients, family, and friends will find perspective, hope, and an honest look at what it is like to be diagnosed with and treated for cancer—as well as encouragement to know that God is present in our pain.
Warrior in Pink: A Story of Cancer, Community, and a God Who Comforts:
· provides an honest look at what it is like to be diagnosed with and treated for cancer
· includes ways to encourage yourself and others
· shows you how to invite God into your pain
- GenresNonfictionMemoirHealth
192 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 2014
1 person is currently reading
128 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 19, 2014
This is the cancer book I wish I'd had to read the day I got my breast cancer diagnosis. I was privileged to be asked to read it by the author's agent, and I have been impatiently waiting for its release so that I can share it with anyone who is facing cancer treatment.
April 29, 2014
Imagine a group of ten women friends. Based on the current statistics from the National Cancer Institute, at least one of them will battle breast cancer. According to the National Cancer Society, “Nearly half of all men and a little more than one-third of all women in the United States will have cancer during their lifetimes.”
I don’t like thinking about cancer, yet alone reading about it. But in this season of my life, ignoring it is no longer possible. Author Vivian Mabuni did not have the luxury of avoiding it either. In Vivian’s case, she not only battled cancer but the cultural barriers that are part of her Asian heritage. She had been taught not to “rock the boat” and that “the nail that sticks out get hammered down” and these lessons “amplified my struggle of not wanting to bother people with my problems.” Somehow, she had the wisdom and courage to understand that she needed to make a different decision: a decision to invite others into her pain and need.
Thankfully, Mabuni presses through her reluctance to be vulnerable and invites a community of friends to stand with her. Part of the beauty of this book is that she also allows us to witness, to walk with her in this incredibly frightening season. She does not spare us the devastation of cancer. She does not tie a sparkly bow with crosses on her story, pretending that due to her faith, she had no pain or struggle. For how could anyone not have doubts, or questions amidst scans, chemo, surgery, and the loss of body parts that often accompanies cancer?
As the subtitle suggests, Vivian made it through her trials with the support of her community, her God who comforts, and a bit of tenacity. She understood early on that she needed to be a warrior, an ezer if she hoped to win the battle. Warrior in Pink will make you cry, will help you to understand what it’s like to be on the front lines of the cancer battle, and also fill you with hope and admiration. Not just for Vivian, but for all the men and women in your life who have faced cancer. At the end of the book, it’s obvious that Mabuni has grown stronger. That she managed to convey hope amidst her deepest pain is a testimony to her faith and the God who actually did lead her into a place of abundance.
I don’t like thinking about cancer, yet alone reading about it. But in this season of my life, ignoring it is no longer possible. Author Vivian Mabuni did not have the luxury of avoiding it either. In Vivian’s case, she not only battled cancer but the cultural barriers that are part of her Asian heritage. She had been taught not to “rock the boat” and that “the nail that sticks out get hammered down” and these lessons “amplified my struggle of not wanting to bother people with my problems.” Somehow, she had the wisdom and courage to understand that she needed to make a different decision: a decision to invite others into her pain and need.
Thankfully, Mabuni presses through her reluctance to be vulnerable and invites a community of friends to stand with her. Part of the beauty of this book is that she also allows us to witness, to walk with her in this incredibly frightening season. She does not spare us the devastation of cancer. She does not tie a sparkly bow with crosses on her story, pretending that due to her faith, she had no pain or struggle. For how could anyone not have doubts, or questions amidst scans, chemo, surgery, and the loss of body parts that often accompanies cancer?
As the subtitle suggests, Vivian made it through her trials with the support of her community, her God who comforts, and a bit of tenacity. She understood early on that she needed to be a warrior, an ezer if she hoped to win the battle. Warrior in Pink will make you cry, will help you to understand what it’s like to be on the front lines of the cancer battle, and also fill you with hope and admiration. Not just for Vivian, but for all the men and women in your life who have faced cancer. At the end of the book, it’s obvious that Mabuni has grown stronger. That she managed to convey hope amidst her deepest pain is a testimony to her faith and the God who actually did lead her into a place of abundance.
September 16, 2015
I loved a lot of things about this book, but what I loved most was the author’s honesty. Vivian mentions having an easier time with transparency than vulnerability, but to me, that’s exactly the gift of this book—she offers both, generously. She shed light on so many aspects of her walk through cancer, from her own culture and how that shaped her instincts, to the powerful role her husband and children played, to her friends—her community who rallied around her and loved her so well—to ultimately the most key player of all, Christ. Warrior in Pink is a gift to anyone touched by cancer.
November 21, 2019
A friend gave me this book today and I read the entire thing in one evening. I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and this book was so helpful. It was honest, informative, and very personal. It didn’t scare me (any more than I’m already scared), but showed me that yes, this will be hard, but I can get through it (by the grace of God and the help of my husband and community). So thankful for the author sharing her story. And bonus, she’s from the same city as me and so when she described places I knew exactly what she was talking about!
August 6, 2019
Definitely good if you’re going through cancer. Nothing ground breaking, but makes you feel like you have a friend to walk through the diagnosis and treatment with. Appreciate Vivian so much for writing this and revealing her heart.
May 13, 2014
Warrior in Pink is the story of one woman’s journey through breast cancer, and how God orchestrated every step through every trench, hill and valley.
My mom fought the same disease for nine years before the Lord took her home two-and-a-half years ago.
Reading this book was like stepping back in time. The initial shock of the diagnosis. The preliminary scans. Surgery. More tests. More surgery. Doctor’s appointment after doctor’s appointment. Grace. Chemo. Exhaustion. Radiation. Friends. God. Repeat.
Though I was not the patient and did not experience everything firsthand the way Vivian has endured, her description of the events and emotions was spot on.
The whole time I read, I kept finding myself saying, “Yes. That’s exactly what it’s like. She gets it. She knows.”
The surgery to lodge the temporary port in place; the dreaded shedding and shaving of hair; the hot discomfort of the wig; the reclining chairs at the oncologist, and the cocktail chemo drip. The blasted compression sleeve to combat lymphedema.
The fear of death.
The rest in our Savior.
Vivian Mabuni gets it all, and she invites you and I into her journey.
As a friend of mine put it, reading Warrior in Pink “gave me an inner voice to the situation.” This book could do wonders for helping people understand the ins and outs, medically and emotionally, of fighting the all-too-common enemy of breast cancer.
They say some people view the world through rose-colored glasses.
Those who have been affected by breast cancer (either through personal diagnosis, or that of a friend or relative) — they suddenly see the world through rose-tinted lenses. Not in the sense that everything seems more pleasant than it really is, but perhaps the opposite. Everything looks pink, because all of life has been affected by this new, altered perspective.
As Vivian recounts, “Now I noticed every cancer billboard, radio commercial, TV ad, and every pink ribbon on a potato chip bag. When I received news of someone newly diagnosed, my heart would sink. Cancer was personal now. And death was no longer a far away, eventual thing.”
Equally powerful in Vivian’s testimony was the faithful, sacrificial support of her husband, Darrin. He even shaved his head bald when Vivian lost her hair, to show his solidarity in the fight. Vivian shares about how he said to her one day, “Viv, you talk about how battling cancer was like a marathon run. Well, while you were running the marathon, I also ran right along with you on the outside of the race tape — only I carried a huge backpack. No one cheered me on. No one held up signs.”
This is such a poignant snapshot into the life of a caregiver — one to remember as we continue to come into contact with families affected by this disease.
Vivian says it took cancer to pull out the writer in her. And while I would never, ever, EVER wish cancer upon anyone,
I’m so glad it did.
May the Lord use this book for His glory.
My mom fought the same disease for nine years before the Lord took her home two-and-a-half years ago.
Reading this book was like stepping back in time. The initial shock of the diagnosis. The preliminary scans. Surgery. More tests. More surgery. Doctor’s appointment after doctor’s appointment. Grace. Chemo. Exhaustion. Radiation. Friends. God. Repeat.
Though I was not the patient and did not experience everything firsthand the way Vivian has endured, her description of the events and emotions was spot on.
The whole time I read, I kept finding myself saying, “Yes. That’s exactly what it’s like. She gets it. She knows.”
The surgery to lodge the temporary port in place; the dreaded shedding and shaving of hair; the hot discomfort of the wig; the reclining chairs at the oncologist, and the cocktail chemo drip. The blasted compression sleeve to combat lymphedema.
The fear of death.
The rest in our Savior.
Vivian Mabuni gets it all, and she invites you and I into her journey.
As a friend of mine put it, reading Warrior in Pink “gave me an inner voice to the situation.” This book could do wonders for helping people understand the ins and outs, medically and emotionally, of fighting the all-too-common enemy of breast cancer.
They say some people view the world through rose-colored glasses.
Those who have been affected by breast cancer (either through personal diagnosis, or that of a friend or relative) — they suddenly see the world through rose-tinted lenses. Not in the sense that everything seems more pleasant than it really is, but perhaps the opposite. Everything looks pink, because all of life has been affected by this new, altered perspective.
As Vivian recounts, “Now I noticed every cancer billboard, radio commercial, TV ad, and every pink ribbon on a potato chip bag. When I received news of someone newly diagnosed, my heart would sink. Cancer was personal now. And death was no longer a far away, eventual thing.”
Equally powerful in Vivian’s testimony was the faithful, sacrificial support of her husband, Darrin. He even shaved his head bald when Vivian lost her hair, to show his solidarity in the fight. Vivian shares about how he said to her one day, “Viv, you talk about how battling cancer was like a marathon run. Well, while you were running the marathon, I also ran right along with you on the outside of the race tape — only I carried a huge backpack. No one cheered me on. No one held up signs.”
This is such a poignant snapshot into the life of a caregiver — one to remember as we continue to come into contact with families affected by this disease.
Vivian says it took cancer to pull out the writer in her. And while I would never, ever, EVER wish cancer upon anyone,
I’m so glad it did.
May the Lord use this book for His glory.
March 29, 2014
The author of Warrior in Pink relied heavily on her family, friends, community and God when she was diagnosed and battled breast cancer. Although I don’t recall her coming out and saying it, I also think she relied on her writing to battle all the annoyances that go along with cancer treatment: diagnosis, tests, biopsy, surgery, recovery, chemotherapy radiation, and physical therapy. There were side-affects too. In addition to the usual hair loss, she also dealt with Lymphedema and cording . She often wrote about these subjects in her CaringBridge online journal.
I liked how she used scripture to support her battles and was open enough to include the words that she felt God laying on her heart. These scriptures were not only ammunition against her cancer, but they could be applied to anyone facing a trial; whether it is cancer, addiction or mental illness. She had her moments of anger, yet, God was faithful and reminded her of His wonderful unconditional grace; a grace that would follow her ten month ordeal and afterwards.
Warrior in Pink is an inspiring, well-organized and easy to read book. The author was very transparent and honest in telling her story. I would recommend it to anyone diagnosed with cancer and also to family and friends of someone battling cancer. A section is included from her husband on advice to spouses/caregivers.
I liked how she used scripture to support her battles and was open enough to include the words that she felt God laying on her heart. These scriptures were not only ammunition against her cancer, but they could be applied to anyone facing a trial; whether it is cancer, addiction or mental illness. She had her moments of anger, yet, God was faithful and reminded her of His wonderful unconditional grace; a grace that would follow her ten month ordeal and afterwards.
Warrior in Pink is an inspiring, well-organized and easy to read book. The author was very transparent and honest in telling her story. I would recommend it to anyone diagnosed with cancer and also to family and friends of someone battling cancer. A section is included from her husband on advice to spouses/caregivers.
March 25, 2014
I received an early copy of this book in the mail recently. My book queue was about on empty and so I picked it up and started to read. It is the story of the author, Vivian Mabuni and her journey of faith and cancer. She paints a very compelling picture and I was drawn in to her emotional story, grateful for her dear friends, her really cool husband and the many life lessons that were transferable to me in my own situation - Thankfully no cancer here, but life lessons transferred anyway.
The author was extremely transparent and vulnerable (she explains the differences between these two words) and really lowers the curtains to let the reader in to her life.
Warrior in pink is great for anyone who knows someone who is battling cancer and for anyone who just wants a compelling heart felt read.
The author was extremely transparent and vulnerable (she explains the differences between these two words) and really lowers the curtains to let the reader in to her life.
Warrior in pink is great for anyone who knows someone who is battling cancer and for anyone who just wants a compelling heart felt read.
August 20, 2015
I loved this book. Although each person's cancer journey differs, there are fundamental truths that we all must face. Viv puts her story out there as if you are her family. The Bible verses she begins each chapter with are spot on, I Love the sidebars with excerpts of her CaringBridge account, and I appreciate the appendixes ( especially the one meant for caregivers).
June 24, 2014
What a transparent journey of a woman allowing the reader to experience the trials and triumphs of overcoming breast cancer. Mabuni's voice was personal, and I highly recommend this book for anyone who is going through this battle or
know of anyone who is.
know of anyone who is.
April 20, 2015
This book is both practical and a page-turner. Vivian Mabuni does not shy away from sharing her battle highs & lows in her journey with breast cancer. A provocative story full of helpful insights. A great choice for warriors or their significant other/caretakers.
April 14, 2014
This book is a must read for any Christian woman facing a breast cancer diagnosis, or those who are close to someone dealing with cancer.
March 5, 2024
My mom gave me this book because I am a cancer survivor and she also met the author. Good memoir about what it's like going through cancer treatments. It feels at time like a long blog. She does have insights about what it's like trying to be "Asian" about going through cancer treatments. Basically--you struggle with not wanting to burden people or ask for help in the time of your life when you really could use a lot of help and support.
August 20, 2017
I loved this book and Vivian's honesty and faith as she walked this road of suffering. It is a hard book but one that shows God's faithfulness over and over again in the midst of such great heartache.
June 10, 2017
I rarely finish (much less start!) autobiographies but something about this one had me picking it up again and again.
January 29, 2016
Reading this book was like revealing parts of my story. I think any breast cancer survivor will like to read this book if he or she is ready for this. If you want to understand or have an idea of what your survivor may be going through then read this book. They will be times when you are laughing, crying or nodding your head because you can relate.
Ms. Vivian was very real with life. She did not hold back any punches. I am so happy that she mentioned that everyone’s journey is different. As a cancer survivor, we may have to have chemotherapy, radiation and surgery but that does not mean that we will all experience the same things.
This book was helpful because as a Breast Cancer Advocate I got a glimpse into the mindset of someone who is Asian American and how their culture can influence how they deal with their diagnosis. I learned a little about how we can reach out the Asian population to let them know that they are not alone in this fight. We all need people who are there for us and our families at this time. You do not have to do this on your own.
I highly recommend this book to everyone. Thank you Ms. Vivian for reminding us that cancer does change us but it does not have to define us. We will continue different emotions are different days, events, building and food will remind us of what we went through. This is really a journey because life continues after treatment. Thank you for also mentioning how cancer survivor experience PTSD.
I was curious about Jonathan reaction and his feeling towards his mother’s diagnosis. I felt that his voice was mostly silent.
I received this book for free from NetGalley through Discovery House Publishers for an honest review. This review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon , etc.
Ms. Vivian was very real with life. She did not hold back any punches. I am so happy that she mentioned that everyone’s journey is different. As a cancer survivor, we may have to have chemotherapy, radiation and surgery but that does not mean that we will all experience the same things.
This book was helpful because as a Breast Cancer Advocate I got a glimpse into the mindset of someone who is Asian American and how their culture can influence how they deal with their diagnosis. I learned a little about how we can reach out the Asian population to let them know that they are not alone in this fight. We all need people who are there for us and our families at this time. You do not have to do this on your own.
I highly recommend this book to everyone. Thank you Ms. Vivian for reminding us that cancer does change us but it does not have to define us. We will continue different emotions are different days, events, building and food will remind us of what we went through. This is really a journey because life continues after treatment. Thank you for also mentioning how cancer survivor experience PTSD.
I was curious about Jonathan reaction and his feeling towards his mother’s diagnosis. I felt that his voice was mostly silent.
I received this book for free from NetGalley through Discovery House Publishers for an honest review. This review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon , etc.
November 21, 2015
In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I'm finally writing my review of this book. I've been putting it off because (full disclosure:) I consider the author, Vivian, a dear friend. So this book means a lot to me. I "watched" Vivian go through her cancer diagnosis and treatment, from several states away, mostly via CaringBridge. I can tell you that Vivian is the real deal. This book reflects her story so well, and I love her writing. I love that while she has a deep faith in Jesus, this is no silly, God-makes-everything-better-and-I-just-smiled-and-trusted-Him schlock. Vivian is raw and vulnerable. She struggled. She still struggles. And I love that by sharing that with us, she has helped provide what she learned at a deeper level walking through cancer: that we can't make it through this life alone. If you are fighting cancer, particularly breast cancer, I recommend this book to you, because it will help you feel less alone. But what I love about this book is that even though it is very specifically about breast cancer, anyone who has walked through any kind of tragedy and suffering can relate to it. Vivian and her book are a gift to us all.
October 11, 2015
Warrior in Pink by Vivian Mabuni is a true story of Vivian’s fight against breast cancer. It is very inspiring and uplifting. She tells how she got through it with having a wonderful supporting family and many, many friends. She didn’t stay away and by herself with the cancer. She let people help her and get her through all of the pain and heartache.
Through all of this Vivian keeps her trust and faith in God. She fights and lets God and others help her. This dear lady has such strength and courage and never gives up. If you or someone you know has cancer this book is one they should read. I highly recommend it.
I received my free copy from Net Galley for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
Through all of this Vivian keeps her trust and faith in God. She fights and lets God and others help her. This dear lady has such strength and courage and never gives up. If you or someone you know has cancer this book is one they should read. I highly recommend it.
I received my free copy from Net Galley for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
April 4, 2017
You cannot argue with a person's story. Highly informative for someone like me who doesn't know a whole lot about breast cancer, and inspiring in the ways of her faith.
April 19, 2017
I only have great things to say about this book. Vivian's writing style was captivating, her words were an honest and humble peek into the journey of breast cancer. Vivian spoke at a conference I recently attended, and I wanted to read her book based off her incredible speaking. I am excited to read whatever Vivian next writes, knowing that it will be top notch. I'm for sure recommending this book to my friends.
May 24, 2018
This book was amazing!!! I would have never thought to read it because cancer hasn't been a part of my story yet, but I met Vivian and loved her so I picked it up. I cannot recommend this book enough to everyone, with cancer in their story or not. it was so moving, so encouraging, and very well written. So much truth and encouragement for facing any kind of trial, parenting, marriage, friendship, how to love others well through their trials... Go get yourself a copy and grab a box of tissues or wear your sunglasses while you read like I did!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews