Meeting the Stranger Within

About the Book

This book describes clearly, and analyzes thoroughly, one man’s experience with prostate cancer, especially his determination to resist the combined power of both intense radiation and prolonged hormone therapy. The restful quiet and the subdued light of the room where he received almost nine weeks of radiation stand in stark contrast to the patient’s denial of fears about cancer, his dismissal of prostate cancer as a “garden variety illness,” a nightmare about a violent death, and the resurgence of loneliness after his wife’s death. His previous career work in mental health and public health – as a helping professional - caused him to see himself as inadequate in the face of this new challenge. He had always helped others; now he had to receive help, and while this distressed him, he eventually accepted the role of patient. He finally recognized the fact that he was ill, that treatment was more powerful than he was, and that he had to tolerate the consequences of treatment and its promise of cancer cure. He also followed the oncologist’s advice that he must “listen to his body,” so that he would secure enough rest and proper nutrition. Just when he thought that treatment was over, breast enlargement - caused by hormonal changes - began and two lumps were surgically removed. This personal saga is told with sensitivity and gentle humor and chronicles the patient’s reflections on his treatment from the vantage point of renewed health and vigor.

About the Author

Walter H. Baily was a social worker throughout his career in mental health, public health, social planning and services to children. Both he and his wife, Thelma Falk Baily, also a social worker, joined together for over fifteen years to enhance services for the protection of children. Baily, who holds a doctorate, has two sons and a daughter and two grandchildren. His commitment to services to people has been transferred to environmental protections, and now, in his eighties, he lives on an old farm and takes pleasure in caring for a certified tree farm.