What Cancer Taught Me

I read this book after being gifted it by Ms Donna Jones while I was hospital for a month with a bowel blockage. Jake's story is one of courage, resilience and overcoming the odds in the face of a very serious, life-threatening illness, Stage 4 Burkitt non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It goes into a lot of detail about the tears, the struggles, but also the laughter that he went through on his journey. What I particularly enjoyed was that it was a true account of what he went through, with honest accounts of each moment as opposed to twisting the story to make it sound more dramatic.

This story taught me about the importance of hope and never giving up. If your mind-set and attitude is pointing in the right direction, and you have good people around you, then good things can and will happen, whatever your situation. This story taught me these things as well as what is important in life. It really made me think a lot about what's important to me and what my values really are. And that is kindness, love and hope can overcome anything.

I would recommend this book to anyone who would like a simple, yet meaningful read. It will make you reflect on your own life and realise how precious life is. It is an honest account of the battles that Jake faced when he was staring death right in the eye. It will make you laugh and cry, but more importantly, it will make you reflect on who you are and what in this world has real meaning for you.

Book review written by Head of Middle School, Mr Mikae Tuu'u