Sunshine: An Exploration of Living When You Are Dying
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With remarkable insight and vulnerability, a leading cancer researcher distills the lessons for living that he's learned as a doctor and as a patient, after being diagnosed with his own terminal illness—based on his enormously popular Stanford class.
Over the course of his twenty-year career, Dr. Bryant Lin treated many patients with lung cancer. He never smoked and never imagined that he would be diagnosed with the same terrible disease. After cycling through the stages of grief and two rounds of chemo, he realized that his diagnosis presented an opportunity to learn. For the first time, he experienced the cancer diagnosis and the complexities of treatment as a patient, rather than a doctor.
Determined to give back and to keep teaching, Dr. Lin created a course at Stanford Medical School called From Diagnosis to Dialog: A Doctor’s Real-Time Battle with Cancer, to share his experience with a terminal illness as both a doctor and a patient. The class was a sensation on campus and soon attracted international media attention.
Now, Dr. Lin brings us into the classroom to offer us an inspiring exploration of how to live when you are dying. How can we prepare for intimidating medical news and navigate treatment? How can we find hope in the face of terminal diagnosis? In Sunshine, Dr. Lin offers both philosophical and scientifically grounded insights into how we can make the most out of life even in the most challenging moments.
What You'll LearnNotable Quotes
Daniel Mason, author of North Woods
“A powerful, moving memoir, remarkable not only for the depth of its insights but the breadth of its range. Bryant Lin’s Sunshine explores the experience of cancer from perspectives ranging from the biomedical to the deeply personal, bearing witness to medicine’s triumphs and shortcomings. I learned so much, not only about illness and caregiving but finding resilience, joy, and even humor in some of the hardest moments we all must face.”
Gordon H. Chang, professor of History
“Medical researcher, cancer patient, doctor, entrepreneur, educator, husband, father, son, friend—Bryant Lin’s courageous account of living, and of dying, grapples with the hard reality of mortality and the meaning of life. He inspires with boundless hope, generosity, and wisdom.”
Bryant Lin, Author
Abraham Verghese, author of The Covenant of Water and Cutting for Stone
“Bryant Lin is a gifted physician-colleague, an educator, an inventor, and a lovely human being. When he was diagnosed with lung cancer, Bryant shaped a memorable Stanford lecture series around his ongoing journey with cancer. Now, in this unforgettable memoir, he shares the experiences that shaped him, his insights into healthcare as patient and physician, and his reflections on life’s purpose and meaning. It’s a precious gift.”
Brian Fies, author of Mom’s Cancer
“Bryant Lin writes with both his head and his heart, offering insights into living with cancer and facing mortality that only a physician experiencing it firsthand would know. Like all great teachers, he is wise, generous, compassionate, and, most importantly, honest.”