Too Young for Cancer by Katie Coleman
Katie Coleman was initially told that she was “too young for cancer.” After all, she was in her 20s and fairly healthy, according to her doctors. That is, until they found a tumor on one of her kidneys, as well as multiple small tumors in her liver.
Diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer, stage four, as a newlywed working to get her life set up, Coleman had to make some tough decisions. First, she and her husband relocated to be closer to a well renowned cancer hospital, then they temporarily moved so she could be treated by another specialist.
Throughout all of the heavy decision making, Coleman connected with others in the kidney cancer world via Instagram. She also charted her own experiences there, with her posts becoming part of her book, Too Young for Cancer.
My Thoughts on Too Young for Cancer
Since I’m currently going through my own cancer battle, Too Young for Cancer made it to the top of my to-be-read pile. Although my own type of cancer and overall experience are quite different, I relate to Coleman’s attitude and the ways she reached out to others in order to get the best care possible.
The book itself is interesting, as Coleman lays out her circumstances chronologically. You can tell that she referenced her social media account heavily while expanding on her experience. Although I did like the book, I found a few issues with it. For one, her recollection of events seems sterile in places. In others, she overuses phrases like, “the tears dripped off my face and splashed onto the page.” A good editor could have taken care of this. Plus, she depicts herself, her spouse, and the helpful people she meets as one-dimensional instead of three-dimensional people.
While I understand that she felt rushed to get the book finished (a stage four cancer will do that), she should have waited a bit to further distance herself from the situation. This would have led to great insights and more information, making it a better book.
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