I bought the book “Not The Last Goodbye” after seeing a friend’s facebook post with a link to an article on Guardian on David. The article was titled “David Servan-Schreiber: ‘He was not afraid of death‘”. Something about the title intrigued me.
I have always been interested to read about people who confronts cancer and survive. If a person can fight cancer and survive, surely there must be something we can learn. Very often, we learn that in cancer success stories, that it is as much (if not more) about the mindset of the person, that wins the battle, as the medical treatments being administered. It is always an incredible feeling to know that someone can survive the most uphill battle through sheer will or force of desire, it kinda gives us hope that it is possible to overcome anything even against the toughest of adds.
A well known person who battled and won cancer was Lance Armstrong, 7 Time Tour de France Winner, who wrote about his struggles and his fight with cancer in the book “Its Not About The Bike“. That was an inspirational read as well.
I did not know about David or his work before this, but i soon found out more about David Servan-Schreiber and the noble work he did.
David was a doctor, who also authored the book Anticancer (with more than 100 x 5 star reviews on Amazon), which preaches a holistic way of life involving meditation, diet, exercise and lifestyle modication. I will admit that i have not read the book (yet), but from reading this book, it is definitely on my reading list.
Not everyone who confronts death would write a book towards the end of his/her life. Certainly not someone who faces something as strenuous and energy sapping as cancer. I can only imagine the amount of determination required to write this book, as he nears the final stages of his life.
Yet i am glad that this book was written. For it really put things in perspective, whatever stage of life you might be at this point of time.
Reading this book is like reading the diary of a person who is about to die from cancer. David describes his struggles with cancer and the inadequacy he felt as transits from doctor to being a patient that is totally dependent on others for basic needs like food, bathing, and changing underpants. It was a humbling to read about his admissions.
David also wrote about the impact of his dad on him. For one, his dad brought him to ski in shark infested waters when he was a child. Certainly not one of the best ways to train a child’s courage, but it impacted David to pursue adrenaline pumping activities like paragliding. Like every father, he wants to be an positive influence to his kids.
David seeks to answer the 3 main questions that readers of his previous book AntiCancer, would want to know.
1) Are the methods that he passionately defend in Anticancer still valid or must he recognize that they don’t protect against a relapse? He argues yes, and he explains why in the book.
2) Since the Anticancer methods are indeed effective, why didn’t they protect him? Or rather, why did they protect him from the previous relapse but fail to do so now, and why.
3) When death comes, how will he face it?
I would imagine myself to have the exact doubts and ask the same questions if i am someone who is following David’s AntiCancer guide. I mean this is the guy that i place my entire faith in fighting cancer!
Readers would want to know that David answered the questions in a moving and empathetic fashion. One can feel the passion he derives from seeing his work helping millions of people.
Towards the end, as he described the nearing of his death, i felt the emotions i felt when a close friend of mine had died…i sobbed uncontrollably.
I am sad that he is gone but I am also glad this book and his previous book book Anticancer, will certainly impact people in ways far beyond what he could achieve when he was alive. I for one, am reminded that life is far more than just about money.
Read more about “Not The Last Goodbye” here.
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