Marissa Hall

Mr. Smith
English Period 2
16 December 2014
Konop Baker, Gail. Cancer Is A Bitch. Cambridge: Da Capo Press, 2008. Print.
Cancer is a Bitch gives us insight on how it feels to have cancer, and how it
affects the narrators life, and the lives of people around her. My opinion about this
book is that it is a well written book on a very serious topic, and it shows us an
example of a real cancer patient who had to fight through it for everyone in her life.
Gail shows how she strongly hates cancer and how it destroys peoples lives.
It gives us examples of how much tough it is to overcome cancer and how the
patients lives change because of it.
This book helps support my topic because it gives us a first hand experience.
Now, I am a lot more sympathetic to those who know someone that is affected by
cancer. My project will benefit from this book because it shows the difficulties.
Green, John. The Fault in Our Stars. New York: Dutton Books. 2012. Print.
The Fault in Our Stars shows the perspective of teenagers when they try to
overcome cancer. each character has a different reaction, and that is why I enjoyed
reading this book. I think that the author got the message across very strongly, and
that it was an interesting book with a great plot.
John Green seems as though he is trying to send a message that you should
enjoy life while you are still alive, and you should do what makes you happy. He also
seems to believe in love, and that is what hooks the audience in, and keeps them
engaged in the story.
This gave me evidence on the reactions that people have to cancer. Both of
the two main characters were not as negative as most people are, and they did not
let it hold them back from doing things when the odds were against them. They
proved us all wrong.
Maynard, Brittany. "My Right to Death with Dignity at 29." CNN. Cable News
Network, 02 Nov. 2014. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.
This article shows how Brittany Maynard would rather die than live with pain. I
think that what she did was her decision, and I agree with her, because in my
opinion I would not want to see someone that I love suffer, even if that means that
they die.
She showed how she lived her life to the fullest in her last few months and
she died in a respectable manner. She lived long enough for her husbands
upcoming birthday, and finally when the pain was too much to handle, she let herself
escape it.

My project will benefit from the article because it gives an example of a

person around where I live, and it shows how she couldnt live with the pain, and
what she did to eliminate it. It will support my main idea, by showing that cancer took
away a twenty nine year olds life.
MailOnline, Sophie Jane Evans for. "Talented Cheerleader, 17, Dies at Home
Surrounded by Her Family a Year after Being Diagnosed with an Inoperable Brain
Tumor." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 04 Nov. 2014. Web. 17 Dec. 2014
Nina Poeta was a senior in high school when she was diagnosed with an
inoperable brain tumor, and given just months to live. Her story was amazing, and
she really impacted many lives. I like this article because it shows how she never
gave up, and she didnt back down.
Nina continued to attend school and cheer on her high school squad. She
was affected quickly by her tumor, and she gradually began doing less and less. Her
friends and family supported her every step of the way, and neither she, nor any of
them, ever gave up. She sent a powerful message across to everyone that knows
her story.
I can use her story to show how support is very important when someone is
ill, and how her community and people from other schools gathered around for her
funeral, and showed their respect for her, even without ever meeting her.
"American Cancer Society | Information and Resources for Cancer: Breast, Colon,
Lung, Prostate, Skin." American Cancer Society | Information and Resources for
Cancer: Breast, Colon, Lung, Prostate, Skin. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
The data from this website shows what percent of patients suffer from the top
cancers just in the United States. This is very important in my opinion because it
shows what a serious problem this is, and how it has effected America.
It provided charts to help visually show the amount of people that are
diagnosed with each cancer. Sadly, some of the most common cancers are near
impossible to beat, and never have it come back.
Using this website will help improve my project because it will show actual
data for our country, and it will draw in the attention of my audience. It will help
because it will show overall how many people have previously, or currently been
diagnosed with some form of cancer.
"Janette Belsby." Small Cell Lung Cancer Survivor CTCA Cancer Hospitals. N.p.,
01 Jan. 0001. Web. 17 Dec. 2014
In my opinion, this story is important because it comes from a real survivor.
To me, it is not as sad, and I do not have as much sympathy because she was a
former smoker. It was a sad story, to hear the process that she had to go through
though.

Janette battled lung cancer, she went through chemotherapy, and she ended
up coming out on the other side. She was sixty-two when she received the news that
she had small cell lung cancer.
More importantly than her story, her milestones will help benefit my project,
and it will help support my topic. She believed in living life to the fullest and being a
caregiver for family members, and in my opinion those are very important lessons in
life.