One day after thirty-three years of marriage, the phone rang. The author's wife, Dotti, learned from her obstetrician-gynecologist that her recent pap smear revealed evidence of "invasive cancer." From that frightening moment until the time she passed away was approximately one year. In his collection of poems, Pacernick chronicles that year of "hospitals, doctors, nurses, tests, diagnoses, radiation, chemotherapy, and many surgeries." Multiple treatments for stage 2A cervical cancer, grappling with the disease's return after six months, and bits of hospital conversation and observations are all captured in these poems. So too is the pain Dotti suffered, the many debilitating procedures, the involvement of the couple's two grown daughters, and how Dotti's illness affected the lives of the author and his wife. Medical complications from a last-gamble surgery called pelvic exenteration led to Dotti's final days being spent in hospice and, ultimately, her death. Pacernick's chronicling of the couple's shared journey, he writes, is "part of an ongoing attempt at healing and hope."

Pacernick describes the battle against the horrors of terminal cancer in a manner that is both beautiful and revealing. The choice to render Dotti's story as a collection of poems is an excellent decision, making the experience for the reader intimate and easily accessible. Many who read this book will undoubtedly identify with the range of emotions and descriptions of various medical procedures covered in such rich detail. Pacernick's composition of the collection was itself part of the healing process, as he describes turning to his writing, in real-time, for dealing with the heartbreaking suffering his wife was experiencing. This comes across clearly in these pages, as does his absolute dedication to and profound love for Dotti. This deeply touching work of nonfiction serves as a celebration of Dotti's life and her determination throughout the entire medical ordeal.

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