Geri Payawal Shepard

Two of a Kind: the Story of How My Little Boy and I Survived Cancer Geri Payawal Shepard

Publisher Marketing: In June of 2009, my son was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. In October of 2011, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. In what felt like a matter of moments, I went from being an ordinary mom, to being a nurse to my son, to being a cancer patient myself. It was unimaginable that my little boy and I were getting chemo at the same time. This is the story of our journey and what it took for us to survive it. As I fought my own battle, it would be my brave little boy that gave me courage. Adapt and Overcome. That would be my family's motto while my son and I were in treatment. We learned to live day to day, smiling through the tough times, focusing on the good and always, always looking forward, putting one foot in front of the other, determined to get through it. As heartbreaking as some of the moments were, there were also many beautiful moments of incredible love, hope, and pure joy. I'm sharing our story so that others will know that we are all stronger and capable of so much more than we ever thought we could be. This deeply personal memoir takes you through some of the events that tested our strength and spirit. More importantly, this memoir celebrates our victories. In 2012, both my son and I finished our treatments. We are Survivors!