Feisty Righty
(A Cancer Survivor's Journey)
Evergreen Gold Medal Winner of the Living Now Book Awards, recognized for its contribution toward positive global change. This prestigious medal commemorates truly world-changing books with the purpose to bring further recognition and exposure.
Feisty Righty is a powerful memoir full of inspiration, a wake-up call for anyone looking to transform their life in a positive way. A breast cancer survivor herself, author Jennifer D. James is a mentor trained in offering support to those who have been diagnosed with cancer. The pages reflect the same understanding, honest answers, hope, and valuable insight that she shares during the many heartfelt conversations.
Successful in her career and happily married, Jennifer's world was upended at age 41 when she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. During her struggle against the disease, she realized that she had to let go of the life she was trying to desperately hang onto and embrace every aspect of the journey. This book is based on her seven handwritten journals, completed over 247 days, as she navigated through chemo, surgery, radiation, and the physical, emotional, and mental struggles brought on by the life-threatening disease.
With honesty, a heightened awareness, and self-reflection, Jennifer shares her hard-earned wisdom of becoming a survivor, the ability to adapt to unforeseen situations, how to proactively self-heal, the importance of love, the art of living, and the gifts and lessons surprisingly revealed along the way, as she shines a light on the stigmas surrounding women and cancer. An empowering read, not only for individuals diagnosed with cancer, caregivers, and medical teams but for anyone in search of something missing in their lives. It’s a bold reminder as to why we must fight for the life we are born to live, with or without a diagnosis, and that with every breath, there’s an opportunity to live fearlessly.
Praises for
FEISTY RIGHTY:
" While her story is similar to those of other breast cancer survivors, her insights are compelling as she shares the realities of the disease, the accompanying anxiety, and her methods of coping with everything. The most important elements of the memoir are the wisdom she acquires throughout her journey and the issues she raises regarding the status of cancer patients in society. Her book shifts from powerful insights (take each day at a time, discover your why for surviving) to railing against the hypocrisy of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, likening it to pumpkin spice latte season--all with brevity, wit, and style.
This cancer memoir is both inspiring and entertaining; a worthwhile read for anyone looking to improve their life."
-Kirkus Reviews
"James makes it clear her suffering has a purpose--to mentor others, drawing on her experience as a 'constant reminder that hope, much like joy, is contagious, and hope, in itself, is powerful.' That desire to help is palpable throughout, as James offers readers practical tools, including a 'Healing Light Meditation' she created to aid her body's recovery. 'Even if I wanted to remain in my old life, there was no way I could. I had changed. The cancer had changed me, and there was no going back.'
This will resonate with anyone affected by cancer. A powerful anthem of hope and perseverance in the fight against cancer."
-booklife Reviews
"Others on this journey will find many familiar realizations, moments, and life lessons as James employs visualization techniques, comes to realize the revised role cancer plays in her immediate and future life options, and takes an active part in dispelling its presence, influence, and potential death sentence from her life. The uplifting and inspirational nature of this discourse is especially notable because readers will find these confessions a surprise in a story of medical trails and difficulties.
Feisty Righty is a powerful personal journey that holds many insights for fellow survivors also walking that road of recovery, creating an inspirational and highly recommended memoir that should be a mainstay in any library.
-Midwest Book Reviews
BIO
Jennifer D. James is an award-winning author, published artist, cancer survivor, trained breast cancer mentor through the American Cancer Society, certified meditation teacher specializing in patient healing and pain management, certified Maurer Foundation breast health educator, and an advocate for individuals diagnosed with cancer to help them gain necessary resources. By sharing her journey, she hopes to encourage women to get routine breast screenings and mammograms while opening the conversation about cancer to shift the narrative. Jennifer currently resides in Palm Springs, California, with her husband, Bruce.
From the Chapter: A Tiny Kitten
"In that moment, I was inexplicably overcome with emotion. As I studied Survivor—the little claws that protruded from his paws, the whiskers that jutted from his furry cheeks, the eyes that had adjusted to the artificial scent of a billion blossoms that still hung in the air—the gravity of his name sank in, and I felt a deep connection to that kitten.
As a cancer patient, I long to be a survivor, too. This tiny, wobbly-legged, rambunctious kitten is what I want to be."
From the Chapter: Why NOT Me?
"On our way to my mother’s condominium, I silently repeated the same ambiguous question, why me? Why me? Why ME? But after asking so many times, a clear message entered my mind.
I heard:
Why NOT you?
Stunned, I didn’t know how to react. I didn’t know if the voice came from the Universe or God or if it was the tiny voice of reason hidden deep within my frontal lobe where rational thought is born. It made sense.
Yes. Why NOT me?
Of course, bad things happen, even to good people. Cancer happened to my Uncle Don, Uncle Gary, Cousin Tammy, Bruce’s brother, and my friend, Krista. If it can happen to them, why couldn’t it happen to me?"
From the Chapter: A Night of Normalcy
"I’d yell out the screen door when he was outside spraying weeds, “I love you!” When he was reading a history book on the sofa, I’d plant a kiss on his forehead and say, “I love you.” Even when the volume was turned up too loud on the television, which previously annoyed me, out came, “I love you.”
Our house had become filled with love, partially because it made the misery easier to tolerate but also because having a cancer diagnosis makes you realize how much you love someone."
From the Chapter: Embrace The Journey
"I sat on my patio watching the wispy clouds until the sky turned a soft shade of magenta and the sun dropped below the horizon. Over those hours, my mind let go of the day, which provided space for an unexpected message to be heard.
The message was:
Embrace the journey. Embrace all of it, even the good and bad. You may not have chosen this journey, but it is, and forever will be, yours.
I sat in silence a little longer, taking in the revelation.
It's true. I didn’t choose cancer; cancer chose me. As much as I was desperate to skip past the chemo, surgery, radiation, and everything else that comes with a diagnosis, I needed to experience the lessons that would unfold along the way. I had to embrace it all to become a better version of myself. It was time to “embrace the journey” instead of resisting it.
I didn’t know if I could, but I’d try."
From the Chapter: My Independence Day
"Once he was done, Bruce swept up the remaining clumps and placed them into the trash, which felt symbolic. I was ready for it to be hauled away. But when it came to the ponytail, I had second thoughts and couldn’t discard it. I took it inside, tucked it into a cloth bag, and hid it in a drawer. I remembered what Rhonda said during my orientation to chemo, “I’ve heard some women keep a lock of their hair as a keepsake,” which I thought was weird at the time, but now, like so many other things, it made sense. It’s a beautiful and cherished souvenir of the life I once had."
From the Chapter: A Breakthrough
"Looking over at my sister, watching her be the center of attention, having all the well-deserved glory, laughing, and carrying on, I realized how far we had come. At one point, she considered postponing her wedding. Together, we went through six chemo cocktail infusions and planned the bulk of her wedding inside a chemo room. But now, as I watched her, I knew that this moment was why I fought. This was the moment I didn’t want to miss. This was the why, and I had survived the how.
But that’s life. It seldom goes as planned. Sometimes we fight with our last bit of energy to reach those fairy tale moments. But when they come, I can promise you this; they’ll live in your memory forever. Every sacrifice leading up to it will be worth it."
the healing light meditation
Next Event
For updated announcements and scheduled events,
please follow or like the Feisty Righty social media pages:
Facebook: Feisty Righty
Instagram: @feistyrighty
Get in Touch
For media inquiries, training, or speaking engagements,
please fill out the form or email the request to: studio@feistyrighty.com.
If you are hosting a Feisty Righty book club event and would like the author to surprise your group with an online visit, please specify the date and time. Jennifer would love to join and will respond if her schedule allows.
Thank you for your interest in connecting.
subscribe
Receive announcements.