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Where is God When We Suffer?
In the Fall of 2013 Byron Leavitt grew deeply, oppressively sick. Then, in January of 2014, he learned why: he had stage four Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Byron was given a 50/50 chance of beating the cancer. Taking a deep breath, he marched forward into the fight for his life. As he entered the war, he also started to write. He wrote of his miraculous victories, tragic defeats, and grueling treatments. But, perhaps most of all, he chronicled a growing realization.
It is so easy in the valley of death to despair. To be devoured by the night and the terror. To ask yourself, "Where is God? Has he left me?" But what if, in the depths of utter darkness, we can somehow reach heights we could never have otherwise attained? What if, as we plummet into the clawing abyss, we find Someone who was waiting to catch us all along?
That's what this book is about.
These are The Complete Cancer Diaries.
The Complete Cancer Diaries began in 2014 with the release of "The Cancer Diaries." However, as work on that book was drawing to a close, Byron was informed that his cancer had returned. And so, just over one year later, here is the full story. Combining the first "Cancer Diaries" with a brand-new Book Two, The Complete Cancer Diaries is a brutally honest, sharply funny story, a collection of musings about our world and the God who created it, and a guide to finding hope in the darkness when there's none to be seen. It will challenge you, it will inspire you, and it will help you push through to the light on the other side.
Whether you're battling cancer or something else entirely, whether it's you waging the war or a family member or a friend, use The Complete Cancer Diaries as a tool. Use it to see the world differently. Use it to find purpose in the pain. Use it to meet God again - or even for the first time. Use it to find peace in the wastelands.
NEW: Now includes the never-before-published section "10 Things to Do if You Get Cancer." This list chronicles the things that got Byron through his cancer, covering absolutely vital strategies he used to win like "turning the conversation." And, while these are the things Byron did to help him beat cancer, he has found people in a variety of situations and struggles who found this list just as valid and necessary as those dealing with cancer themselves.
A note from the author: "Hi there, my friend. This is Byron Leavitt. Sorry to take up more of your time, but I just wanted to thank you for spending a few minutes to look over my book. But even more than that, I wanted to encourage you that no matter what you're going through, don't lose hope. God sees you. He's there with you. And He loves you. If there's anything I can do for you, let me know. I hope we get the chance to talk at some point in the future, and I hope that as you read my story you see your own reflected in it as well. Until next time, God bless you." - Byron
Darkness. Light. Wonder. Beauty. God. Tentacles.
Those who know Byron Leavitt best would say that pretty well sums him up. Those who don’t know him as well would make the description simpler: they would just say, “That dude’s weird.” This is an accurate appraisal as well.
Byron spends a lot of time thinking about God, the nature of things, and the wondrous glimmer of light in the dark. He thinks a lot about death, too. What it means for us here, and what it means for us beyond. Does that make him morbid? Maybe. Some would certainly think so, and it would account for his twisted sense of humor. But he’ll let you be the judge.
Byron is married to his best friend, Sarah, and they live in a centennial Swiss-style house with their two daughters, Aurora and Eden, their butler, Egad, their gremlin, Brain, their gargoyle baby, and any number of carnivorous plants. Their deck is encased in Morning Glory. Byron recently went into remission from recurring Hodgkin’s Lymphoma following a bone marrow transplant, a journey you can read about in this very book. You can also read many of his current and past musings on his blog, “Life Springs,” at http://www.lifespringseternal.com. He is also hard at work on his next book, "The Fish in Jonah's Puddle (To Say Nothing of the Demon)", which he is posting chapter by chapter on Life Springs as he writes it. You should check it out.
When Byron is not writing in the third person, he will often address you as himself. Hi there.
