Craig Fiedler wanted to be an advocate for vulnerable people. After earning his law degree he worked in legal services in Appalachia before deciding that he wanted to advocate for people with disabilities. He earned his Ph.D. in special education, then taught about and advocated for this vulnerable population until he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Now he, too, was a vulnerable person, and one of the first challenges he faced was his discovery that those who knew he had cancer perceived him primarily in terms of his disease—he had suddenly lost his identity as professor, lawyer, author, advocate, husband, and father. Craig refused to relinquish that identity, and he used his unique sense of humor and insights gained from his work with special needs people to regain some control over his life, such as his insistence that his doctors view him as a collaborator in his medical care and not as a "victim" of cancer. Craig described his medical care with an eye for detail that people familiar with cancer treatments will readily appreciate. He knew that he would lose the battle with cancer, and in this book he shares the life lessons he learned. Despite the death sentence cancer represented, he could still say: "My cancer has given me FREEDOM I never had." He used that freedom to write this book, and all who read it will be the beneficiaries of the wisdom, humility, and compassion of this extraordinary man.
Foreword
Acknowledgments
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1 The Dream
CHAPTER 2 Through the Looking Glass
CHAPTER 3 The Cancer Journey and Detours Along the Way
CHAPTER 4 Resolving to Battle the Bully
CHAPTER 5 Communicating with Cancer
CHAPTER 6 Trying To Be An "Exceptional Patient"
CHAPTER 7 A Cancer Apprentice: Lessons in Redemption
EPILOGUE: Remembering Craig
Index
Overview
Craig Fiedler wanted to be an advocate for vulnerable people. After earning his law degree he worked in legal services in Appalachia before deciding that he wanted to advocate for people with disabilities. He earned his Ph.D. in special education, then taught about and advocated for this vulnerable population until he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Now he, too, was a vulnerable person, and one of the first challenges he faced was his discovery that those who knew he had cancer perceived him primarily in terms of...