Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: The First Shock, Then Waiting for Answers When you receive a scary diagnosis, you need to know how to receive it, hear it, process it, and rely on others to provide prospective. Chapter 2: Life or Death Everyone eventually dies, and some diagnoses are death sentences. But for almost every diagnosis there is a reason for more optimism than pessimism. Chapter 3: Vulnerability Squared Being sick makes you feel vulnerable, fearful, and powerless. Chapter 4: Sick Children As vulnerable as you are as an adult, children are far more defenseless. Chapter 5: Building Your Team When you receive a scary diagnoses, you naturally tend to become depressed and isolate yourself from the world. Chapter 6: You Must Never Lose Your Dignity At its worst, medical treatment can feel like torture, creating unimaginable pain that can reduce you to feeling like a supplicant begging for relief. Chapter 7: Distrust and Suspicion Skepticism is good; paranoia is bad.

But you are likely somewhere on this continuum. Chapter 8: Selecting and Managing Your Doctor How you can find and select the right doctor. Chapter 9: Faith, Hope, and the Three Stooges You need to focus on your attitude and take concrete steps to keep your mood positive. Chapter 10: To Share or Not to Share It may be painful to share, but it can also bring you relief. Chapter 11: Managing the Hospital Experience Which hospital you should select to receive the best care? Chapter 12: Coping with Big, Bad Bureaucracies How the bureaucracies of insurance companies, hospitals, medical practices, and government programs can crush your spirit and damage your chances of successful treatment. Chapter 13: Confront Your Disease by Being More Than Just a Patient Being engaged in your work, family, and interests is what makes you who you are and you shouldn't lose that to your scary diagnosis. Chapter 14: With Gratitude, Optimism Is Sustainable You must strive to find gratitude and acknowledge the strength you found when coping with your scary diagnosis. Suggested Reading Index.