BIOGRAPHY OF A FRIENDSHIP
A friendship becomes a biography when it drives the story.
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Bookstores/libraries - Distributed via Ingram:
- Paperback ISBN: 978-1-962707-68-8
- E-Book ISBN: 978-1-962707-24-4
Marie-Claude Arnott is a Goodreads author.
Behind every pancreatic cancer patient is a loving caregiver, often at a loss for words.
Biography of a Friendship is a deeply personal memoir and the outcome of a promise the author made to her dying friend, diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer.
How can the author be the friend she needs?
With the flow of a novel, this genuine story shows what it’s like to accompany a friend to the end of her life, while transporting the reader to France and Switzerland.
As they navigate the illness, often from a distance, the author supports her friend through thought-provoking perspectives on life and death while experiencing that being in 'her conversation' is the only honest way to help.
This emotional story shares the candid moments that shaped their lifelong friendship, the misunderstandings that tested them, and the hidden truth that unsettles the author before their final goodbye.
As time goes by, the author is drawn into an introspective journey until she discovers the healing power of forgiveness from lessons she learned but didn't apply.
November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
… and November 19th is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Day. But awareness is just the first step. Pancreatic cancer awareness also means that behind every loved one is a caregiver who needs support. When my friend asked me to accompany her to the end of her life, I was confronted with her questions… and mine. Continue reading...
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness and the Color Purple
Purple is my website's accent color and symbolizes pancreatic cancer awareness. Pancreatic cancer is why I wrote a memoir; it was a promise to my friend. Writing a friendship story through the lens of illness was complicated, as I explain in this interview.
Biography of a Friendship is a memoir meant to help other women, two friends like us, and anyone quietly navigating the pain of watching a loved one face a life-threatening illness. This deeply personal story is for readers seeking understanding, guidance, and comfort when the emotional connection is warped.
My friend needed a cure, but there was no cure. With no symptoms until Stage IV, a pancreatic cancer diagnosis is shattering news. There is still no cure, yet inspiring survival stories keep backing up clinical trials. Research is marching on, but it needs our help to stop its silent, swift progression.
Since my experience with my friend's pancreatic cancer journey, I try to bring attention to PanCAN's PurpleStride—The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Walk/Run to End Pancreatic Cancer in the U.S. - and the Terry Fox Foundation's Marathon of Hope in Canada.
PanCAN's mission is "to create a world in which all patients with pancreatic cancer will thrive."
The Terry Fox Foundation is realizing Terry Fox’s "dream of a world without cancer."
Find out on their websites how clinical trials are at the leading edge of progress, and let them help you navigate the stormy medical and psychological journey of pancreatic cancer.
Unless a life-threatening illness strikes a loved one, we don’t relate to the urgency of finding a cure for pancreatic cancer.
“Work isn't just a job for PanCAN's staff; it's a mission. Having lost too many family members and friends to pancreatic cancer, I'll do anything to further that mission.”
“There can be no reason for me to stop. No matter what pain I suffer, it is nothing compared to the pain of those who have cancer, of those who endure treatment."
"I wish I had known earlier that the persistent stomach pain I experienced prior to my diagnosis was a symptom of pancreatic cancer."
PANCAN CLINICAL TRIALS
USA
THE TERRY FOX FOUNDATION
Canada
WELCOME!
This is the official website for Biography of a Friendship, a memoir about friendship and pancreatic cancer.
"After one of her typical bouts of wit one day, I told my friend I would write a book about her life. I wanted to give her one last gift. A glimpse of a future she would never know."
(Photo credit: James Michael Arnott 1974-2024)
Interview: Writing about Illness and Loss
PRAISE FOR BIOGRAPHY OF A FRIENDSHIP
“As a travel writer, this journey of a friendship, that shows and not only tells, took me on a different type of trip, one that made me reflect on my own experiences of loss, soothing those memories. I could not put the book down.”
—Karen Berger, New York Times bestselling author, 'America Great Hiking Trails'
“From the opening chapter of this beautiful story, I was invited into the heart of a friendship and the memories of an incredible woman. This memoir reads like a novel and takes the reader on a journey through the intertwined lives of two strong, funny, unapologetic, and colourful women as they navigate love and loss, strengthen their friendship over distance and time, and learn how to let go and say goodbye. This book will make you laugh and cry, and will serve as a reminder of the precious nature of life.”
—Kate Gajdosik, Producer, IMDb
“A compelling story that leads the reader into the warp and weft of the timeless meaning of friendship between two women. Time can heal, sometimes in unexpected ways.”
—Laila Radage, co-author, 'Through the Golden Age'
“From the perspective of grant donors, to help advance better treatment of pancreatic cancer, this book eloquently informs of the reality of patients and their families after diagnosis. It highlights the difficulty of such an emotional journey without the support of an organization such as PanCAN. It’s also the captivating story of a friendship.”
—Steve, and Cheryl Kole - PanCAN PurpleStride Silicon Valley/Promise & Progress Team Captain
Travel Stories
The world is a big place. When it was time to leave beautiful sites I would likely never visit again, I felt a longing. Never mind the photographs galore, souvenirs, mementos, and books, they weren’t enough. They wouldn't keep my memories alive, but writing travel stories would.