The Cancer Survivor's Garden Companion: Cultivating Hope, Healing and Joy in the Ground Beneath Your Feet

by Jenny Peterson

Overview

THE BOOK IN 19 WORDS: A CANCER PATIENT DISCOVERS THAT GARDENING IS GOOD MEDICINE – AND FINDS A POWERFUL HEALING PARTNER IN HER OWN BACKYARD.

Jenny Peterson is a breast cancer survivor. Her long road through cancer treatment was hard, emotional and often deeply depressing. The one thing that pulled her out of the darkness was her desire to be able to garden again.

Peterson credits her garden with clearing her mental fog and overcoming her depression, physical limitations and pain. The Cancer Survivor’s Garden Companion explores the therapeutic benefits of this vital “earth connection.” With gentle empathy, beautiful photographs and easy how-to steps, she shows others how to create their own backyard haven for healing – a personal restorative garden – with a bonus of well-grounded guidance about diet, exercise, mental focus and spiritual renewal.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780989268899
Publisher:	St. Lynn's Press
Publication date:	01/04/2016
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Jenny Peterson is an Austin, Texas-based landscape designer specializing in xeriscaping and small urban spaces. She is a cancer survivor who found hope and healing in her garden, even during the darkest days of chemo and radiation. In the process, she made deep connections with the cancer support community, including physicians, nutritionists, bodywork practitioners, psychologists and spiritual counselors. She enjoys helping others create garden spaces that enrich and improve the quality of their lives. Co-author of "Indoor Plant Decor: The Design Stylebook for Houseplants" (St. Lynn's Press, 2013), she also writes for home, garden and lifestyle publications and sites – including Austin Home, Fine Gardening, Oklahoma Gardener and Houzz. Recently, she teamed with Craftsy.com to create and instruct a video class, "Gorgeous Garden Design: Function & Style."

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Jenny's tips for incorporating gardening into your life for mind, body, and spiritual health are ingenious! As a cancer coach, I will definitely be suggesting this book to my clients.”

~ Susan Gonzalez, BSN, CPCC, co-author of 100 Perks of Having Cancer Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It, and editor of The Savvy Sister blog

Editorial Reviews

I recently received a book for review, "Cancer Survivor's Garden Companion" by Jenny Peterson. Not sure what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised with the content. It encourages the cancer survivor to go out in or return to the garden. The book is appropriate for anyone recovering from or experiencing the difficulties — weakness, lack of stamina, inflexibility, so common with many illnesses. The author speaks with authority as a cancer survivor and gardener.

Sue Kittek

The Cancer Survivor's Garden Companion by Jenny Peterson (St. Lynn's Press) is many things. Above all, it is a book of reassurance, but not by falsely promising everyone they will get better. Peterson says if we enjoyed gardening before our cancer, we can continue to enjoy it. It just takes some extra safety precautions, balance and adaptations.

Gardening books will inspire homeowners whether they live in the city or country - Jill Sell

This book is especially meaningful to me because over a year ago my brother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Sadly, my brother passed away in the fall. As I thumbed through the pages of The Cancer Survivor’s Garden Companion, I wished Jenny Peterson‘s book had been available earlier. It would have been a wonderful gift for my brother and his family. From now on, The Cancer Survivor’s Garden Companion will be part of any care package I might give to friends and loved ones with health challenges. Jenny’s book is filled with simple and enjoyable gardening activities to restore body, mind, and spirit, especially during treatment. I thought about my brother’s small backyard garden, which was a bit neglected after his diagnosis, and how this book might have inspired him to continue enjoying manageable tasks on his tiny plot of tomatoes and eggplants.

Valorie Grace Hallinan

I wish Jenny Peterson didn't have to write her new gardening book, but I'm glad she did. The Cancer Survivor's Garden Companion is an inspiring approach to dealing with cancer by using the garden as therapy. If you have a cancer (or a chronic illness) you need Jenny's book. If you have a friend, relative or acquaintance recently diagnosed or going through treatment, they would also benefit from reading this book. The Cancer Survivor's Garden Companion is the most uplifting approach I've read for moving through the disease process from diagnosis to treatment to healing. It really is a book for "cultivating hope, healing and joy in the ground beneath your feet."

How Gardening Helps us Heal - Jodi Torpey

I wasn’t sure how the contents would apply to my own life. After just a few pages, however, I could see that her advice has an universal appeal to anyone who is trying to rekindle their connection of the healing powers of nature.

Teresa O’Connor

I wasn’t sure how the contents would apply to my own life. After just a few pages, however, I could see that her advice has an universal appeal to anyone who is trying to rekindle their connection of the healing powers of nature.

Teresa O’Connor