Wisdom and Dignity from a 21-year-old Cancer Patient
Mother Shares Son’s Courageous Battle with Testicular Cancer in New Nonfiction. A cancer diagnosis is devastating news no matter what the circumstance. But at age 21, the majority of young men are coping with final exams and first dates rather than chemotherapy and radiation. In her new nonfiction, The Boy and His Death: A true story, debut author Marga Beukeboom shares the inspirational story of her son, Benjamin, and how he, at 21, conducted his battle with testicular cancer.
Amersfoort, The Netherlands (Vocus) August 2, 2010
A cancer diagnosis is devastating news no matter what the circumstance. But at age 21, the majority of young men are coping with final exams and first dates rather than chemotherapy and radiation. In her new nonfiction, The Boy and His Death: A true story (published by iUniverse), debut author Marga Beukeboom shares the inspirational story of her son, Benjamin, and how he, at 21, conducted his battle with testicular cancer.
According to the National Cancer Institute, cases of testicular cancer have been consistently on the rise worldwide for the past 40 years and are the most common malignancy among men aged 15 – 35. One of the most easily treatable forms of cancer, about 1 in 24 cases prove to be fatal although more and more men are diagnosed every year.
When Benjamin was diagnosed, Beukeboom admits she’d never even heard of the disease. She poignantly describes how her son, mature beyond his years, coped with rapidly declining health and a grim prognosis throughout his three-year battle against the cancer ravaging his body. Refusing to limit him to traditional treatments of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, Beukeboom set out with her son in search of alternative treatments.
Mother and son travel from Texas to New York; to Denmark to England, and finally back to the small town of Baarn in the Netherlands as they seek out various therapies, both conventional and holistic. Beukeboom gives valuable insight into the different alternative treatments available to cancer patients, some of which proved to be successful. However, as his health continued to fail him further, Benjamin was forced to confront the possibility of death.
Wise and intuitive, Benjamin fought the anger and denial common to anyone living with a terminal illness. He vowed to look at his disease as a blessing and decided that if he were to die from cancer, then his death would mark the completion of his task here on earth. Blind to her son’s spirituality, Beukeboom candidly writes about her obsession with finding a cure.
On a journey marked with dignity and grace, Beukeboom and her son learn together that there exists more between heaven and earth than they ever could have imagined. The Boy and His Death is a compelling narrative intertwined with messages of hope and courage that simultaneously raises awareness about testicular cancer.
About the Author
Marga Beukeboom is a Dutch native who lived and worked in the United States during the 1990s. She currently resides in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, and is an advocate of non-destructive, alternative cancer treatments. She has worked as an international project manager and consultant and has 25 years experience in the field of information technology. The Boy and His Death is her first published book.
IUniverse is the premier book publisher for emerging, self-published authors. For more information, please visit http://www. iuniverse. com.
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