Reversal: Therapist Becomes A Patient

The following is a letter which I received from Eric Anthony Galvez, author of Reversal: When A Therapist Becomes A Patient.

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I spent my entire adult life preparing for a career to help others rehabilitate from catastrophic diagnoses. After almost 2 years working as a physical therapist, I received shocking news that I was the recipient of a catastrophic diagnosis. In September 2005, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I became someone I've spent years preparing to help. Reversal: When A Therapist Becomes A Patient is about my experiences as a young rehab patient and healthcare professional. It is unique because it contains:

1. The humorous perspective of a young active male brain tumor patient that many people can relate
2. The logical perspective of a patient with a medical background when faced with difficult medical dilemmas
3. Multiple perspectives from the loved ones closest to a patient
4. A real time format that is easy to read and validates the authenticity of the situation
5. A book soundtrack available exclusively on iTunes
6. The perspective of a 1st Generation Filipino American patient vs. the views of his overprotective traditional Filipino parents

The manuscript was originally intended for the physical therapy, cancer survivor, and healthcare student demographics. I just recently became aware of your blog. I self published through iUniverse, so the book is very raw. Much of the content is straight from my old blog which I entered on the spot with minimal editing.

During my recovery: I led a team that raised over $11,000 for the National Brain Tumor Foundation ; created a support network for young survivors named TUMORS SUCK!; led the development of a unique website called "mAss Kickers" designed to empower cancer/brain tumor patients; organized a national book tour with stops in Evanston IL, Flint MI, Oakland CA, and New York NY; became active in "I'm Too Young For This," a young survivor network with strong ties to the Lance Armstrong Foundation; and have initiated a few more projects yet to be revealed.

This is the latest review of the book in Advance Magazine, a national physical therapy publication with a circulation of 75,000 and an online circulation of 85,000.

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Several things struck me as I read the letter:

• another soundtrack for a blook? [Is this a trend?]
• he capitalizes on his ethnicity [this is not a bad thing, only useful]
• how are "multiple perspectives" portrayed in a book based on a blog?

In my next post I'll have a Q & A with Galvez that deals with these and other issues.