Body 2.0: Finding My Edge Through Loss and Mastectomy

by Krista Hammerbacher Haapala

Overview

To honor her mother's deathbed advice to head off breast cancer to “be there” for her boys, Krista Hammerbacher Haapala chose to trade healthy breasts for longevity and peace of mind. In Body 2.0, Haapala chronicles the personal research, medical process, bodily changes, and the emotional toll involved in the more than two-year odyssey of what she referred to as her “Body 2.0 vision quest.” Through it all, Haapala shares her insights for living awake during even the darkest times, and captures the raw ebbs and flows she and her family experience in the face of her wrenching decision. She takes on body image, the sexualization of breast cancer, motherhood, and maternal relationships, as well as how to sustain an intimate, loving partnership. An unflinching, irreverent take on preventative double mastectomy, Body 2.0 is a guide to reframing adversity, finding inspiration, and shaping your own life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631521324
Publisher:	She Writes Press
Publication date:	09/20/2016
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	280
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Krista Hammerbacher Haapala is a passion instigator. As a personal, relationship, and sexuality coach, she supports humans of every stripe in creating fiercely fulfilling lives. Haapala finds her own edge daily as a mountain biker, CrossFitter, sailor, and a poet. She lives a few steps from the woods in Maine, and is the mama of two sons and partner to her love, Brian.

Editorial Reviews

"A little transcendentalist, a little bit rock and roll, Haapala made her decision and stuck with it...Recommended for most patient health collections.” —Library Journal
"Body 2.0 is a touching exploration of body image, motherhood, and the sexualization of breasts and breast cancer.” —Bustle, "12 Memoirs by Badass Women to Add to Your Wishlist in Fall 2016”
"From redefining her body image to sustaining a steamy intimate relationship in the face of health drama, the scenes of this moving memoir will reawaken every woman’s soul to the power of existence and stir a yearning to hold on to it forever." —Working Mother Magazine
"This emotionally raw memoir captures the authentic the struggle between physical health and the mental strain of bravely choosing a preventative double mastectomy, redefining sexiness, and overcoming society's dangerously shallow dogmas of what it means to be beautiful.” —YourTango, "10 Fall Memoirs That Will Make You Believe In Love Again”
“A courageous and passionate diary of transformation. Anyone facing medical trauma will find resilience in this first-person account of what it means to be a mother, a partner, and a fully embodied woman in the face of body-altering surgery.” —Gina Ogden, PhD, LMFT, author of Expanding the Practice of Sex Therapy
“In Body 2.0, Krista reaches out, grabs a hold of the reader’s hand, and walks you through her transformative journey in which she faces her fear, pain, loss, anger, and grief with exceptional honesty and courage. Witnessing Krista allow the power of love, joy, gratitude, and hope become her ultimate guides will inspire every reader to trust your own power and be brave in your decisions, and honor yourself, your body, and your spirit, each and every day.” —Julie Burton, author of The Self-Care Solution: A Modern Mother’s Must-Have Guide to Health and Well-Being, JulieBburton.com
“Author Krista Haapala beautifully documents her emotional trajectory, along with her physical journey, through a major medical procedure in the wake of grieving, and learning from, her mother's death. She explores what it means to be a wife, mother and, most of all, herself: a woman intent on making the best choices possible for her present and her future. In the process, she challenges much of the conventional wisdom about breast cancer as she makes pro-active decisions and comes to know her body and mind more intimately. Body 2.0 is a heartfelt memoir that will speak to anyone who cares about those touched by breast cancer.” —Rachel Kramer Bussel, editor, Best Women's Erotica of the Year series
“Books can be life-altering. Fewer are life-saving. This book offers the gift of both . . . you can’t help but feel intoxicated with the power of her journey and her vulnerability and relate it to your own. With her passion for debunking myths, exposing culture, and sharing her deepest truth, Krista challenges her inner critic and limits, and welcomes you to consider your own. This book will be at finger’s reach in my therapy practice for all women experiencing a cancer diagnosis, seeking a prophylactic approach to their health choices or body image dissonance, and couples who probably could never imagine that a medical crisis could ever bring them closer.” —Jennifer A. Wiessner, LCSW, AASECT Sex Therapist
“Although inspired by her body and her mastectomy, Body 2.0 is about the journey to find power in both. Krista, by sharing her path, gives us permission to explore our own feelings, and make our own decisions about or bodies, and our future. It's not about choosing life, it's about choosing to live. As one who coaches both the minds and bodies of people all day long, this book, with its mixture of prose and poetry, will be a great tool.” —Alyssa Royse, Life and Body Coach, Seattle, WA
“Body 2.0 is an inspirational memoir about breast cancer that is full of beauty and honesty while facing doubt, denial, and control head on. A woman consciously making a challenging decision to cut breast cancer off at the pass and sharing her experiences along the way, Krista's unending positivity and strength shines throughout.” —Lanae St. John, DHS, ACS, TheMamaSutra.net

From the Publisher