Off Our Chests

A Candid Tour Through the World of Cancer

By: John Marshall, Liza Marshall

Narrated by: Sara Van Beckum, Sean Pratt

A surprisingly open memoir coauthored by the married duo of a world-class oncologist and a cancer survivor about love, pain, hope, strength, and resilience while navigating the overwhelming breast cancer advocacy movement.

Off Our Chests recounts the story of Liza and John’s experience with her diagnosis and treatment. Written in alternating voices, Liza details her treatment and the complex decisions she had to make throughout her course of chemotherapy and radiation, including clinical trial participation and an elective double mastectomy, with the added complexity of being treated at the cancer center of which John was the chief of hematology and oncology and dealing with the emotional impact of knowing she may die as a young woman with young children.

John, who lost his own mother to cancer at the age of 13, provides an inside look into the world of cancer care and research, but also the perspective of someone who understands the medicine but was unprepared for assuming the role of caregiver and worried husband. John adds insights into his world of running the clinical operations of the cancer center where Liza would receive her care, commentary on the breast cancer machine, the need for clinical research, the high cost of cancer care, and an easy-to-understand explanation of the clinical and scientific background of oncology.

While they both felt that they were already expert commentators on their own “Cancer Channel” during the course of Liza's illness, they both came to realize how little understanding they truly had of what a cancer diagnosis does to the patient, caregivers, children, family members, and friends. Liza and John share their most intimate thoughts, including many that were previously unsaid - even between the two of them. Both gain an understanding of the other’s life and a deeper appreciation of what it means to be a cancer patient and of the emotional strains of being an oncologist, a job where so many of the patients die on their watch.

©2021 John and Liza Marshall (P)2021 John and Liza Marshall

Valuable Read

Gives real insight into the world of cancer. Anyone who is not already an expert will gain knowledge about the treatments and dilemmas faced by a cancer patient and the world of medicine in general.