NOW Living the Dream: A Tale of Surviving Cancer by Daksha Trivedi is a testament to her brave journey through an aggressive cancer which brings to light the power of hope as she learns to accept uncertainty. Daksha’s story of endurance began long before receiving an unexpected and a devastating diagnosis of cancer in her lower oesophagus. She had hardly come to terms with the painful loss of her twin brother from advanced cancer only six months earlier but finds courage to bring solace to her elderly widowed mother who had lost both her beloved sons. Her journey takes us through her diagnosis, the challenges of treatment decisions and recovery from a life- threatening oesophagectomy. Her deeply moving story, whilst that of survival embraces the reality of her condition and conveys profound themes of relentless determination and a commitment to positive strategies at a time of pain and suffering.

This book highlights the patient’s and the family’s distress and encourages health care professionals to find ways of engaging with people from different cultures, especially where there is a family history of cancer. Whilst Daksha faced numerous challenges during a long and a difficult period of recovery, she, together with her family found ways of getting her life back. Her remarkable story is an inspiration to patients, families and practitioners and provides a valuable insight into finding courage to cope with adversity. It acknowledges a dearth of research evidence on oesophageal cancer, though great strides are being made to detect early conditions that can increase a person’s risk of developing cancer.

This poignant and human story draws together everything Daksha and her family have realised about living well in the moment. She also discovers the true meaning of faith, love and hope as she begins to talk about cancer. In her honest and inspiring account, she shares her learnings to live a life full of purpose, being deeply grateful for the gift of time.

This book was completed in the shadow of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. The author intends to donate proceeds from the sale of this book to appropriate charities.