Author Transforms Cancer Diagnosis into a Source of Hope
Many writers keep a journal so they can constantly capture those fleeting ideas that arrive in moments of inspiration, whether it is in the midst of a summer thunderstorm or in the moments of surreal silence before we drift off to sleep. Lori Lober, though she’d tell you she’s not a ‘writer’, started keeping a journal when she was originally diagnosed with stage-four cancer. Seven years later, Lober has repeatedly been diagnosed as “no evidence of disease” and continues to live each day with a desire to plant the seeds of hope in patients who face an advanced stage cancer diagnosis. The desire to spread her optimistic message resulted in publishing her journal as Bigger Than Pink: The Book I Could Not Find When I Was Diagnosed With Stage Four Cancer.
When Lober was initially diagnosed, the news spread quickly throughout her tightly knit community. As she outlived the 12- to 18-month time frame her doctors had given, Lober became a beacon of light within the community, especially for patients and families who had been affected by cancer. When a community member was diagnosed with the disease, he or she was usually referred to speak with her one way or another.
Telling the Story She Couldn’t Find
Eventually Lober was telling her story four to five times a day, and decided it was time to adapt her journal into a book. “I thought about it and came to the conclusion that if only one person was helped by my story, then it was worth the time,” explains Lober. “I didn't plan to be an author...I was convinced by those who love me that I had a story to be told that could inspire others to have hope in spite of a dire health condition,” she says.
Lober began officially planning out Bigger Than Pink on a trip to Hawaii a year and a half after her diagnosis. As she sat on the beach that day, she decided to focus on her personal journey, combining both Eastern and Western medicine and the precautions that can decrease your likelihood of being diagnosed with cancer. “During my treatment I dotted all my I’s and crossed my T’s, sought out a clinical trial, and embraced the best of Western medicine while incorporating Asian modalities,” Lober remembers. “Essentially, I created the best possible environment for my body and stressed the power of the mind. If you see yourself as whole and well in the end, you’re more likely to be that way.” She recruited local Kansas City broadcast personality Lara Moritz to assist with the editing, and began thinking about her options to publish the book.
At first, Lober wasn’t exactly sure what to do with the manuscript of Bigger Than Pink. She had no experience with agents or large publishing houses, and didn’t want to shop her manuscript around. “I just knew I wanted a process where there would not be a lot of red tape,” says Lober. “I wanted to get my story out as quickly as I could.” When Lober began reading about AuthorHouse online, her publishing options became clear. “AuthorHouse streamlined the process and made it feel less complicated,” Lober says. “That was important to me because they handled so many of the details that were intimidating as a first-time author. They took the fear and intimidation out of the process.”
Once she had approved the final galley, set her royalty rate and selected the selling price of the book, Lober eagerly awaited her first copy of Bigger Than Pink. “Feeling that first book in my hands was a gift I cannot explain,” says Lober. She organized a large signing event to kick off her book launch, and 150 people from her community showed up to support her work and snag a signed copy of the book. But her message of hope was greater than just one person, and greater than a book.
Maintaining Her Momentum
Five years ago, Lober established the Touched by Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is simple: to empower those touched by cancer—either through a personal diagnosis or the diagnosis of a family member or friend—to embrace life and not accept a cancer diagnosis as a death sentence. Lober has incorporated Bigger Than Pink into the foundation’s Road Map to Recovery resource, and offers complimentary copies of the book to those in need of inspiration to help them understand their own situation. She has plans to publish a second edition of the book by early 2008 with a new foreword and updated content.
Lober has maintained a diagnosis of “no evidence of disease” for five years now, and continues to provide the resources she couldn’t find when she was originally diagnosed. Instead of cursing the darkness of her diagnosis, Lober has become an unwavering beacon of hope for those who have been touched by cancer. “The feedback I have received from newly diagnosed cancer patients since the publication of Bigger Than Pink has made the entire process worth it,” she says. “I am filled with gratitude toward AuthorHouse for helping me make my dream of publishing my story a reality. Together I am confident we are providing hope to those who hear the dreaded words ‘you have cancer.’” For more information or to buy a copy of Bigger Than Pink, visit www.biggerthanpink.com or www.touchedbycancerfoundation.com. Lori Lober is highlighted as a featured author for Authors Across America.
