The Well-Read Commuter Reviews: Home Before Dark

A Family Portrait of Cancer and Healing
By: David, Kate, Michael & Sam Treadway

What this book is about:
What if your entire life changed in an instant? It happened to David Treadwell when he awoke in the middle of the night with a pain in his shoulder. Days later when he learned he had Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and a 25% chance of survival, both he and his family dealt with the news in different ways. As the treatment of the disease raged war in his body, Treadwell’s instinct as a successful psychologist was to prepare his wife and children for his death. What resulted was a family writing project and a compressive look at one family and their journey into the unknown that is cancer. David Treadwell beat the odds and has been enjoying life in remission since 2006.

Did you like this book:
A poignant portrait of a family struggling with a serious illness, this book weaves a rich tale that will strike a chord with anyone who is part of a family. The story is told in alternating chapters from the point of view of David (the father transitioning to patient facing his own mortality), Kate (the mother, wife and doctor faced with losing her life-long partner) and their two children. You are left with a complete and vibrant view of the family’s march through the fog, navigating life post-diagnosis. Dealing with the stress of a holiday when it could be the “last” one you have together to adult children balancing blazing their own path in the world with the knowledge that their father could be slipping away and any time with him is precious, it is a story anyone who has loved and been afraid to lose can relate to. It was beautiful and uplifting. Your priorities will completely change when you read it and it will be a well needed reminder to enjoy every day and every minute with those that you hold dear. It is the story of the journey of a family and many will be able to relate to it.