Sarah's journal

Sarah and Geoff McDonald enjoying lunch outside overlooking sea in Ventana, CA

The Thomson Housewarming

When we were still early on in telling friends about my cancers, we grabbed drinks and dinner with our friends Ian and Ceylan Thomson. When they received my cancer bombshell email, they immediately reached out to say they’d love to meet up with us. We were nervous about the evening for many reasons…

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Sarah McDonald relaxing on patio deck Ventana, CA

So…I’m a writer?

“What’s your book about?” is the first question I am asked when I tell a mother in my daughter’s nursery school class that I am writing a book. Eeeesh. It is a totally fair question but it is the one I want so desperately to avoid – especially at this new parents’ event I’m attending…

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Sarah McDonald overlooking ocean sitting in wooden chair after hiking inVentana, CA

The awkwardness of writing a memoir

I did not ask for a memoir.

When I sat down to write The Cancer Channel, where I started was with a handbook. A primer. A travel guide of sorts for those on a cancer journey. I started writing this “guidebook for the newly diagnosed” because when I was diagnosed with cancer, I turned where I always turn for information – to books.

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Sarah E. McDonald sitting looking over shoulder in Ventura CA sea in foreground

I (finally) wrote a book

First off – let me address the issue of me being neither famous nor infamous. You’re right. I’m neither. I’m just a person who had fertility issues – then one cancer diagnosis – then another, unrelated cancer diagnosis – then concurrent treatments for those cancers – then a baby. You can’t make this stuff up – or at least in my case I didn’t – and I lived to tell the tale. So, I ended up telling the tale of this crazy couple of years of my life in a memoir…

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