New Memoir of Sister's Fight With Cancer is Released

GILLETTE, N.J. -

When Marianne Merkl successfully battled Hodgkins Disease, Stage 4, for a year in 1980, friends and family rejoiced. Forward to 2005, when she faced a recurrence of Hodgkins complicated by the addition of primary liver cancer. This new memoir released by Dog Ear Publishing relays the experience the sisters shared as they tried to live life to the fullest in between doctors' appointments and treatment.

"Traveling Beyond the Topic of Cancer: The Sisters' Journey" shows the bond the sisters share, despite differences in their personalities. More than a "how to" book with advice about battling cancer, the memoir chronicles the pair's work at living life in spite of cancer's efforts to dictate otherwise. They travel, including an Alaskan cruise, and support each other, right up until the longest day, when Marianne took her final breath. Told through Marianne's emails, emails and musings from Elissa, and reports from doctors and others, the memoir shows their attempts to live with humor and take each challenge as it comes.

Elissa Merkl is a professional artist who has exhibited her work around the United States and in Korea, England, Spain, Venezuela, Japan and Bangladesh. She edits and publishes "Cultural Events of New Jersey" and gives demonstrations and talks about her work, judges art shows and has served on boards of art organizations. Born in Colorado Springs, she now lives in Gilette.

Marianne Merkl, who died in 2007, battled cancer once successfully; she was 58 years old when she was diagnosed. Marianne was one of the first support people for ChemoCare, now Cancer Hope Network, which started around the same time as chemotherapy, about 1983. The activist visited patients undergoing chemo and did public service announcements, radio shows and gave talks. She co-owned a travel agency with her sister and discussed how to travel while in remission or undergoing chemo. Marianne also volunteered at Cancer Care of New Jersey and worked at the multiple sclerosis group in north Jersey.

For additional information, please visit http://www.elissamerkl.com

Traveling Beyond the Topic of Cancer: The Sisters' Journey
Elissa Merkl and Marianne Merkl
Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-4575-3007-4 224 pages $14.99 US

Available at Ingram, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and fine bookstores everywhere.

About Dog Ear Publishing, LLC
Dog Ear Publishing offers completely customized self-publishing services for independent authors. We provide cost-effective, fast, and highly profitable services to publish and distribute independently published books. Our book publishing and distribution services reach worldwide. Dog Ear authors retain all rights and complete creative control throughout the entire self-publishing process. Self-publishing services are available globally at dogearpublishing.net and from our offices in Indianapolis.

Dog Ear Publishing - self-publishing that actually makes sense.

To post a comment, you must register and login.