A Lucky Life Interrupted: A Memoir of Hope Paperback – May 10, 2016

Encouraging to know my struggles are shared by another. He validated my journey with multiple myeloma and my pain. I am getting my family to read it

Having recently been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma I was interested to read of Tom Brokaw's experiences in coping with the disease. In particular I wanted to know how the treatment in the US differed from my own treatment by the NHS in England.To avoid his book from becoming just a litany of medical procedures, Mr Brokaw intersperses his journey through the disease with anecdotes from his long journalistic career and many moving and humerous stories about his friends and family.Although MM is a fairly rare form of cancer, the research and treatment of this disease has made great strides over the last decade due to the efforts of two major centres in the US who are leading the way with the development of new drugs, many new trials and most importantly the sharing of information worldwide.I was pleased to find out that my own treatment in the UK echoed that of Mr Brokaw's and profoundly grateful that I had the added benefit of the NHS, which meant all of the costs of medication, care and procedures came without me having to pay a penny. Although Mr Brokaw had good health insurance he pointed out that under the US health care system many people have not been so fortunate and could well have suffered bankruptcy due to the high cost of the treatment.Throughout the book his many introspections and ways of coping echoed my own and made me smile or read out loud to my husband, asking if he recognised the similarity between our experiences. From being a strong healthy active woman who cycled, swam and kayaked to becoming an old lady with a stick takes some adjusting to and Tom Brokaw talks about this with honesty and how he has had to come to terms with the same situation. Like me he wanted to shout out to passing bicyclists "Hey, that was me not long ago, I haven't always been like this!"The book will be of particular interest to those with MM and the many Tom Brokaw fans who have admired his work over the years. He speaks truthfully about his doubts and fears and the realisation that until something like this happens, then perhaps we have not been as thoughtful as we could have been with others in a similar situation.Overall his book is full of optimism laced with common sense about the future. Because of the advances made in the treatment of MM it is now seen as something to be managed rather than terminal and we must hope that we are the lucky ones who will benefit from this new research. I am giving a copy of the book to my consultant haematologist, whom I am sure will enjoy it from a totally different perspective.A Lucky Life Interrupted: A Memoir of Hope

This was a good book, but it would have been even better had Mr. Brokaw spent more time talking about his illness, and less time talking about all of his celebrity friends and his career accomplishments. I've read similar books written by well known people, all of which were not so self centered. Mr. Brokaw comes across as an individual who is in need of ego boosting, thus the reason for the constant references to all of the 'important' things that he's done as a journalist, and the incessant name dropping throughout.With that said, the book offers a fluid portrayal of the 16 month ordeal he went through, from first diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma to complete remission. Mr. Brokaw does a superb job of writing about his illness and he provides hope for those suffering from the same disease. If only he had written this without such a degree of self importance, the book would be outstanding, instead of just good. It's difficult for the average layman to relate to Mr. Brokaw's experience, as he elevates himself to such a level, so as to make the average reader feel beneath it all.Regardless, since I managed to get through the book by filtering out his excess ego, I feel that it's a worthy effort by Mr. Brokaw, and I wish him well in the years ahead.

Tom Brokaw is a fascinating and as he accurately puts it lucky guy: he has a beautiful wife with whom he's shared half a century of togetherness and a career filled with innumerable accomplishments and well-deserved awards. But then the glow on his life dims unexpectedly by the diagnoses of a dreadful disease: multiple myeloma, a rare cancer of the blood. Is his charmed life over? In A Lucky Life Interrupted, Brokaw takes us from the debilitating back pain that ultimately leads to the diagnosis of MM and through the many setbacks during a rigorous treatment that in the end will give him the news his cancer is in remission. As a multiple myeloma patient myself, I can't recommend this book highly enough. Brokaw prose is straightforward and candid--he puts his journalistic skills to good use. And although he experiences some dark moments during his treatment, self-pity never encroaches his narrative. Perhaps the note that most resonated with me was his frustration when he felt his medical team was not communicating with each other at crucial moments. This is endemic not only to this disease but every serious disease as well. Doctors tend to concentrate on their area of expertise and go MIA at times when their knowledge might help other doctors who are looking at a patient from a different prism of knowledge. Thanks to a cadre of doctors I was able to put together outside the team of specialists in charge of my treatment--a strong recommendation by Brokaw to other MM patients--I was a able to interpret the information delivered in confusing medical terms and question how one doctor's findings influenced another' recommendation. Brokaw has been in remission for three years. For me it has been five. And like him I'm claiming my life back, and experiencing some of the "old self" showing through the veil that was once cancer. Thank you Mr. Brokaw for putting a face to this terrible disease.

I have a rare cancer. Many aspects of his experience parallel mine. He is spot on with his anaylsis of what could be done to make improvements.

I always found Tom Brokaw's reporting style a mix of seriousness, eloquence, and honesty. He just had a way of speaking that was accessible to me, although at times I could not fully understand the wide and deep vocabulary that he used. It was actually with that same slight trepidation that I started reading this book, fearful that it would be too academic for me, or worse, too dull as a consequence. It was neither. Tom's writing is inspired, with warmth and wit and a keen observing eye on his surroundings. I did find the allusions to his financial means and well known friends a bit much by the end, but thought, well, if you have it, flaunt it?!...... I finished the book in two days....about the time it take me to read a an grossing summer thriller where I habitually gloss over the descriptor prose. Tom's book, I read every word. I felt touched by his stories and his plight. And I felt inspired to think differently about health and age and life. A highly recommended book.

Excellent read, having been diagnosed with the same illness 2-years ago, I found it to be very informative.

Tells you exactly how it really is to find you have Multiple Myeloma and the effects of treatment. I concur with everything Tom wrote and, in particular, how fe stresses the need to have a positive attitude and the the need for endless help and support from family and friends.

Very good book. I would highly recommend it especially for anyone with cancer and their families. Let's you know others are going through the same things you are.