Synopsis "rallying 'round mara: an inspirational blog about fun, friendship and cancer"
This is an inspiring, beautiful story, about a fascinating woman, Mara Galaty, told by Mara herself, her family and her friends around the world, as events in her life unfolded. Filled with pictures, comments and the exchanges that helped them all deal with her illness, it has inspired even those who did not know her. It is told with affection and humor, based on love, friendship and optimism. It is also a guide for all of us in keeping active, being happy, continuing to travel and learn, working for lofty goals and enjoying life even while dealing with cancer or helping family or friends who are living with cancer. The Blog first introduces us to Mara in August 2007, when she reports "straight from the horse's mouth" that she has been evacuated from her USAID post in Amman, Jordan to the Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York for treatment after MRI tests showed she had metastatic melanoma cancer lesions (tumors) on multiple sites in her brain. The Blog entries and the stories told by her family and friends at her memorial services around the world attest to a life lived fully, with generosity, compassion and joy. From the accounts of her birth in Germany, through her escapades at school, her adventures in the Peace Corps, her battle with virulent breast cancer at the age of 32, and the international challenges she met working in Mercy Corps and USAID, you will find yourself laughing and crying, unable to put the book down. Mara lived life to the fullest. She was only 37 when she died, but she accomplished as much as most do in 90 years. Mara's upbeat attitude and that of her world-wide web of family and friends enabled her to pursue the lifestyle she wanted, allowing her to enjoy her life to the last day. Many of the contributors to the blog as well as the medical and health professionals who have read it recommend this book to people facing tough cancer and life-style decisions. Mara's example and her positive outlook are certain to help cancer patients aspire to a quality of life they might not have thought possible.
