A Year Lost, A Life Gained: Fighting Breast Cancer with Wit, Humor, Friends and a Perky Poodle

by Suzanne Dalton

Suzanne Dalton has accomplished much in her life - she is an artist, writer, actor, web designer, and program manager. The one undertaking for which she did not sign up was breast cancer. In her new memoir, humor guides Suzanne through difficult decisions about treatments, surgeries, and reconstruction. Her story, told through witty letters to friends, includes a party before surgery, a zany poodle, and refusal to let cancer define her.

A Year Lost, A Life Gained is at its heart a beautifully-told story and a guide intended to aid anyone diagnosed with cancer whether they've completed the journey or are just embarking upon the path.

200 pages, Paperback

Published April 19, 2018

About the author

Suzanne Dalton wrote the humorous short story series "Poodle Possessed" for Hoflin Publishing's bimonthly international publication, Poodle Review, for 14 years. A Year Lost, A Life Gained is Suzanne's first book. She is presently working on her next, a book of travel, adventure, and poodles.

Suzanne graduated from Wayne State University with a BS in geology. She studied fine art, industrial design, watercolor, and photography at College for Creative Studies, and has a TEFL diploma and a Master Certificate in Applied Project Management from Villanova University.

Currently Suzanne is a program manager of software development at an automotive company in Detroit, where she lives with her husband and her standard poodle, American Canadian Champion Ascot Rosebar Double Diaka CGC, a.k.a. "Fletcher," but being such an accomplished poodle, of course, he prefers "Mr. Fletcher."

Reviews

[Aleksandra Layland · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Year Lost, A Life Gained: Fighting Breast Cancer with Wit, Humor, Friends and a Perky Poodle is an inspirational, entertaining, and informative personal memoir by Suzanne Dalton. I’ve known of women who died from or survived breast cancer, but I never knew the details of their treatment and rehabilitation, or the extent and duration of their pain and recovery. Dalton describes her experience in full detail and offers some very useful advice. While every breast cancer experience is unique, there are common issues worth sharing, and not just among women. This is a great book for men to read, as well as medical professionals, to better understand the patient’s point of view. Although her procedures took place in 2001, Dalton includes comments to address changes and current approaches.

Dalton’s honest, clean, and crisp writing style and her well-paced narrative make A Year Lost, A Life Gained a book that anyone can enjoy. You feel as though you are one of her email recipients at the time and experience the unfolding process along with her. For those (like me) who can’t handle certain topics without getting queasy, Dalton issues “gross out warnings” and tells you how far to skip down. The humor had me chuckling from start to finish. More than a few comedians could take a lesson from it. “Surviving cancer means to rejoice in being alive ... and still have a sense of humor,” Dalton writes. With the good fortune of an early diagnosis and the love and help of her husband, family, friends, medical professionals, and a very special poodle, she did just that.

[Bpear · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thoughtful, humorous book written about a personal journey with a horrible disease that turns life upside down. It is written in a very relatable, realistic style that helps the reader understand the multiple challenges that are thrown up emotionally and physically as well as some creative ways to deal with them, continuing the fight. It is a great read that is not buried in medical and technical jargon, yet provides information to help a lay person understand what is happening. It will keep you reading to the end. I would suggest this book for anyone having gone through the struggle, supporting someone, or anyone who just wants to understand better.

[Lakesha Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. The author expressed a lot about her life. I learned a lot about Breast cancer, and how it affects people everyday. I hope the author continues to be a very strong individual. I am being strong everyday too. i have a stomach illness (Cohn's disease). I am trying to stay positive. If you write another book, I will read that book too.

[Jessica Vanderhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

My book club read this. We loved the truth in the pages and the witty delivery.