"...one year after her graduation from Smith College, Brett had flown to San Francisco, the chosen setting for her next big adventure, the quest for "real" work, financial independence, selfhood - a dazzling young woman, as she appeared to him, hastening to a world of possibilities. Just six months after her arrival on the West Coast and only weeks after she'd finally come into a challenging job... she discovered a small lump above her collarbone... As if a powerful switch had been thrown, her life veered, not out of control, but onto a different, scarier track where events speeded up and everyday existence was perilously heightened."So begins Douglas Hobbie's harrowing account of his daughter's struggle with Hodgkin's disease. From the beginning, and despite every shattering setback and disappointment in the course of her ordeal, Brett was determined to prevail.Finally, facing her death, she learned to live in the moment - radiantly - while discovering ways to express her pain and loss and her inextinguishable love of life. Being Brett is a record of courage and perseverance that pushes past the myths and unreality that often insulate us from death and dying. Read Less