Dear Friend: Letters of Encouragement, Humor, and Love for Women with Breast Cancer

By Gina L. Mulligan

A beautiful collection of handwritten letters that offer strength and comfort to women living with breast cancer.

Written by compassionate strangers—many of whom have gone through their own health battles—these heartfelt letters contain empathy, inspiration, and humor to help you overcome difficult moments. They were gathered by Girls Love Mail, an organization that provides support to people diagnosed with breast cancer.

Also including beautiful illustrations, this is a book that can bring light to dark moments and make readers feel less alone during stressful and hard times.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Sep 26, 2017
• ISBN: 9781452163499

Book preview

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Reviews for Dear Friend

[book_in_hand · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book through a giveaway from LibraryThing.com and Chronicle Books. This is a lovely, beautiful, and encouraging book! I will be passing it on in hope if it reaching someone who really needs it! My Grandma was a breast cancer survivor and I think she would've loved this book. Not only are the letters beautiful but the book itself is comforting and gorgeous!

[kimberly_p-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I actually gifted this book to a friend who has breast cancer but she told me she was thrilled with it. She said it was heartwarming, comforting and uplifting. I will consider that a win for the author.

[hillgirl_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I do not have cancer but I know a lot of women who have or had. These letters were so heart warming and so powerful to read. They encourage and help the person going through cancer but also the family or caregivers to have hope and know that they are not alone. Powerful words. Great book

[piperup · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I appreciated this collection of inspirational letters to/for breast cancer survivors despite not being a breast cancer survivor...yet. Pretty much every female in my family ends up with breast cancer & lately it's been popping up at younger ages sooooo it sometimes feels as if it's lurking right around my shoulder. Full Disclosure: Sometimes I'm a bit of an Eeyore...expecting & preparing for the worst in certain situations. If you're expectations are low...odds are you'll often be pleasantly surprised, relieved & grateful when the worst doesn't occur. Yes...it's twisted...but...it works for me. :-) Reading the letters in this book made it a bit difficult to be an Eeyore while reading it...which is a pretty amazing accomplishment.The letters are inspiring & heartfelt. They are from survivors and friends/family members of survivors. Some are amazingly encouraging...some not so much...but it's the thought that counts, right? ;-) The only complaint I have & that caused me to rate as 4 stars instead of 5 is that not many of the letters are humorous. I think laughter is the best medicine & when you're struggling with your health...sometimes the it's the only medicine that doesn't have any negative side effects. ***Special thanks to LibraryThing & Chronicle Books for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[juva_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a good book to buy for someone you love when you just don't know what to say. The letters contained within are sometimes thoughtful, sometimes deep, sometimes funny, but always loving and vulnerable. It touched me to read the words of so many strangers who didn't have all the answers but were still willing to offer what they did have. I don't have breast cancer, so it was a bit awkward reading this book on the train every morning, trying to hide the wetness of my eyes. Every page is colorful and bright with different stationary patterns and unique handwriting. A lovely book and a beautiful project of encouragement.

[cheryl6l6b · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lots of good stuff in this small book; words of encouragement, understanding and warmth flow from the pens of many authors, all of whom have had their lives touched by cancer. My only complaints: I found some of the handwriting a bit hard to decipher & I don't like having to turn the book sideways to read some of the letters; however, let me hasten to say this is a MINOR point, the book is well worth reading!

[susan.macura · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Described as "Letters of Encouragement, Humor and Love for Women with Breast Cancer," this book lives up to its hype. It is a small, easy to handle and carry book, especially user friendly for anyone who wants to bring this to a chemo treatment, etc. What makes it special are the contents - numerous letters in the authors' original writing on the letterhead they were created on, as well as artwork created by people of all ages and backgrounds whose sole purpose is to support women battling breast cancer. There are notes from women who fought and survived, children who offer their unique and often smile-provoking insights, as well as best wishes from people who just want to be there, often the most important thing of all! This is a life-affirming project that I will pass on to someone who could use a little of this type of TLC. I simply loved this book and all the best wishes it contains!

[homeschoolmimzi · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as part of Early Reviewers from Librarything. Dear Friends is the result of a project started by a breast cancer survivor, Gina L. Mulligan. Gina shares in the introduction how once she beat cancer, she knew she wanted to start something to encourage other women going through the same experience. And so she collected a series of handwritten letters of encouragement, letters written by survivors, siblings, children,men, some soldiers-to women who've been recently diagnosed, women who are feeling overwhelmed, scared and out of control. Thus this book is a bound copy of handwritten notes, pictures and poems, addressed to "Dear Friend" or "Dear Sister". Many of the notes say the same thing- you are strong, you can beat this, you are not alone, you are brave, my mother beat cancer, my grandmother beat cancer, you will too. I think the idea is wonderful, to hand letters of encouragement to women fighting cancer. But I couldn't help feeling that there is something missing here. Not everyone beats cancer, and people know this. Women know that they may not survive it. And there doesn't seem to be any acknowledgement of this truth in this book. I know that it is culturally and societally appropriate to spread messages of "positivity" and hope, but when there is a denial of the reality of possible death, it just screams something out to me .. The big elephant in the room is stomping. Won't anyone have the courage to mention possible death? Won't anyone mention what *every* woman thinks of when she is diagnosed? And while it is encouraging to hear positive outcomes, there is something sorely missing when the obvious isn't stated: yes, you may die from this.... I guess that would make a lousy book though. The pretty handwriting (in some cases) just doesn't fit with bad news. I admire Gina L. Mulligan for all the work she put into this project. And I hope it encourages many women.

[prudencegoodwife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as one of the early reviewers for LibraryThing. It arrived 2 days ago and I sat down and read it immediately. This book is beautifully laid out as a collection of handwritten letters. As the cover states, these are "letters of encouragement, humor and love for women with breast cancer." It also contains letters to women who are battling ovarian cancer. These letters are from survivors, from family members of cancer sufferers and survivors and from children who don't even know the person they are writing to. The letters are poignant, "in your face" empowerment, and letting those women know that they are not alone. I plan to pass this book on to the cancer support group that meets at our church.