“Summary: There are love stories and then there′s the story of Kristian and Rachel Anderson. After learning he had cancer, Kristian wanted nothing more than to show his wife Rachel how much he loved her. Thanks to the now famous YouTube video he made for her 35th birthday, he captured the world′s attention. Many of us didn′t know Kristian but we were so inspired by him that we felt like we did. His story is a lasting legacy to a brief but blessed life that will inspire others to know that even in the darkest moments, the light can shine through.
Reader’s Notes: OK, remember when Oprah came to Australia, held a couple of shows at the Opera House and during one of them, handed over a cheque for $250,000 to a lovely young couple, who were dealing with the husband’s cancer? Yep, that was Kristian and Rachel Anderson. For a while earlier this year Rachel was sending her boys to the same swimming lessons as my kids so we got to talking – me having no idea who she was – and she mentioned that her husband had written a book. So I got it, and read it, and then understood while her husband never turned up to swimming lessons. Look, the book dwells a lot on religion and Kristian’s utter faith that God will make him better. While I don’t care much for religion these days, I found this belief absolutely fascinating, especially as it becomes clear that Kristian is not going to survive. There’s no doubt though that Kristian was a talented writer – his prose is really, really lyrical. Occasionally Rachel inserts a few paragraphs of her own, which are far more perfunctory, explaining the day-to-day realities of cancer treatments. If there’s one thing I know now, if I get cancer there is no way I am going to immediately go for treatment – this book really opens your eyes to what cancer patients go through in a bid to recover.
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Christine Heard wrote this review Monday, January 14, 2013.
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