He said the dreaded words, “I give you two years to live,” and my heart froze in time.
[See the ever-growing list of Endorsements below.]
I have four young kids. To not see them grow up, start their careers, get married… those thoughts seemed unfathomable. “I’m only in my 30s. You can fix this. Can’t you?” I’d made so many plans.
“No. I’m sorry, Elisa. We can’t.”
My breath evaded me, like I already needed the ventilator—the damn life support. I wouldn’t die in a car crash or some freak accident. Nope. I knew what would kill me; I just didn’t know when it would happen.
The night I met Mike, an infamous bachelor, I couldn’t imagine that years later I’d be battling for my life as he helped raise my four children. Yet, there we were. It was slow at first, but my view on life reverted to something it had been years before. It wasn’t until I started modeling in hospital gowns, fiddling for terminal patients, and taking my kids on outlandish adventures that I discovered how to truly live again. But, despite handling so much with grace and trying to build a legacy for my family, could that reconcile the most devastating of diagnoses?
About the Book
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Print Book Info
Perfect Bound / Softcover:
ISBN: 1622537815
ISBN-13: 978-1-62253-781-5
5 x 8 x 0.xxxx (0.xxx Lbs) — Coming Soon
xxx Pages (xx/Carton) — Coming Soon
List Price: $xx.xx — Coming Soon
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The Team
EC Stilson – Author
Robb Grindstaff – Editor
Kris Norris – Cover Artist
Lane Diamond – Interior Designer
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Endorsements
“EC Stilson’s cancer memoir is so beautifully written, inspiring, and poignant. The words shine hope into the darkest days.”
– Eileen Wharton, Writer of Crime Novels, Women’s Fiction, and Children’s Books
“EC Stilson’s story might not be unique, but her voice is. If anything, it’s the universality of her struggle that makes her words worth reading. She brings a light and observant deftness to her prose that belies the severity of her survival. When you read Stilson, you learn that existence is a human condition; it’s how we live, how we love, how we laugh, and learn to live within the bedlam we’ve created that gives us our actual humanity.”
– Nick Bruel, Author of the “Bad Kitty” Series
“EC Stilson has been a daily source of inspiration to people of every age and from all walks of life... particularly those facing life’s most difficult challenges.”
– Loree Lough, USA Today Bestselling Author of 140 Award-Winning Books
“EC Stilson has been a source of inspiration to me. Her attitude of gratitude is infectious, and her courage to share her walk with others comes through in every one of her stories.”
– Mark Gabriel, Managing Director and Owner/Principal Investor of G2 Productions
“EC Stilson shares her profoundly uplifting personal journey from the lowest depths of despair and the insurmountable adversity of cancer to the triumph of unconditional love and an unquenchable thirst for life.”
– Joanna Lee Doster, Author of “Tails of Jaxx,” A Children’s Mystery Series
“I have never met EC Stilson in person, but I feel that I know her well enough to feel like she’s a close friend. I have read her stories posted on social media for what seems like years and always find them heartfelt, touching, and sometimes funny. And yes, she’s made me cry on more than one occasion. She’s given me hope that I can overcome my own relatively minor ailments with dignity and a positive outlook.”
– William Vaughn, Author of “The Seldith Chronicles”
“Some of Stilson’s posts have brought me to tears—and this is coming from a fellow writer. She is so brave in the face of pain and the unknown yet manages to be positive and kind. I am rooting for her and hope she lives a good, long life.”
– Marya Ashworth, Author of “The Elven Chronicles”
“I am an avid reader of Stilson’s and feel inspired most of all by her sense of balance with regard to honestly reporting about her difficulties, but at the same time finding moments of joy, love, and gratitude within it all. The camera loves her face, and her readers love her thoughts.”
– Anthony Flacco, Author of “The Last Nightingale” Historical Crime Series
“This woman is flat-out one of the best storytellers I’ve ever seen in real world, unbelievably able to write anything and it all has purpose and poise.”
– Eric Lissy, Professional Percussionist and Musician
“If you like her, you’ll read her. If you read her, you will like her. Why? She’s one of a kind. Yet, she’s a friend to every kind. She feels it before she writes it. And when you read it, you’ll feel it, too.”
– Nolan Furniss, Businessman and Avid Reader
“A beautiful reminder that embracing love and joy can help us rise above whatever pain we’re going through. Every day is a gift, and so is every chapter in this book.”
– Shevi Arnold, Author of “Ride of Your Life”
“Stilson’s journey with cancer has helped so many of us. The ups and the downs, the sorrows and the triumphs, the pain and the relief of her journey—all done with so much equanimity—have helped me put in perspective my own life, my health issues, and my heart-wishes. Peace and love.”
– Dee Ready, Bestselling Author of “A Cat’s Life” and “Prayer Wasn’t Enough”
“EC Stilson’s words bring hope and light into a scary world where cancer tries to eat all that’s good. She inspires us all to live our lives with more love and find the beauty that is all around us.
– SheaLynn Bailey Petersen, Reader and Reviewer
“If anyone would like to know, EC Stilson kicks verbal butt. She could easily wallow in a sea of ‘Why me?’ Instead, she cobbles together a surfboard of happiness and rides whatever life throws at her.”
– Amy Lynn Spitzley, YA Author and Children’s Book Illustrator
“EC Stilson is one of the most brilliant writers I’ve ever encountered, and she writes for you at her most fragile time. Read Two More Years and grow.”
– Bud Connell, Novelist
“I first met EC Stilson when, as a book publisher and editor, she took a leap of faith on one of my novels, The Angels of the Resistance. She worked with me to improve its prologue and its cover. Always the inspiration, she brings out the best in me with but a simple act of defiance against adversity. She rides onward—and so should we all, if even with half the grace she exhibits.”
– David V. Mammina, Award-Winning Author
“I have thoroughly enjoyed EC’s stories, short anecdotes, and readings. She is almost always so positive even when hurting emotionally or physically. She is strong, caring and smart.”
– Barry Phillips, Reader and Reviewer
“EC Stilson is one of the best storytellers I have ever read, and her stories about dealing with cancer are an inspiration to all.”
– Ann Marie Anthony, Publisher and Editor, Island Park News
“I am a regular follower and reader of EC Stilson. Others will speak to her courage and upbeat attitude, sentiments I thoroughly agree with and endorse. However, my greatest admiration is for the way she puts the extra into the ordinary to make it extraordinary, how she puts the reader’s eye to the kaleidoscope of cancer and releases rainbow prisms of hope and wonderment. Most of all, she is just an all-around good guy, whose love for humanity takes her beyond the boundaries of cancer to share her message of positive thinking.”
– Merlene Fawdry, Author of “The Scent of My Mother’s Kiss”
“EC Stilson is a true fighter with a warrior spirit. She leads with compassion and empathy, and allows her vulnerability to exude through her writings.”
– Roy Merritt, Reader and Reviewer
“Stilson’s work matters. Her voice is clear and loud, and she makes an unbelievably difficult situation relatable to those of us who otherwise would be unable to imagine what her journey is like.”
– Beth Fehlbaum, Author of Edgy, Realistic YA fiction, Published by Simon & Schuster
“At each stage of the author’s journey through her battle, there is always a contrast of such terrible circumstances counterpoised with a stunning appreciation of love, optimism, and hope. I am constantly amazed that so many hardships that she confronts are dismissed by the upbeat note on which such difficulties are delicately balanced. The prose is clearly of a literary and thoughtful design. I would highly recommend this powerful narrative as a guide to anyone dealing with adversity—of whatever nature—as a way of seeing the good even in situations that seem the bleakest. Much respect to an eternal powerhouse of positivity.”
– Gareth Stokes, Author of “5 Minutes”
“I hugely admire EC Stilson, and since her cancer struggle, that admiration has gone even higher.”
– Lin Robinson, Freelance Writer and Anthologist
“I can’t even begin to put into words how amazing EC Stilson is. I always look forward to reading everything she has to share.”
– Kelsee Herrera, Reader and Reviewer
“EC Stilson’s writings, brimming with joy, hope, sadness, grief, and love, are brilliant reminders of what’s important in this life. As she battles with cancer, she reminds us of the everyday monotonies taken for granted, the intense value of family and friends, and the subtleties of interactions with those also struggling or oblivious to her struggles. Her shared journey is a beautiful reflection of her desire to heal herself and spark healing in others.”
– Courtney Parker, Narrator and Speech-Language Pathologist
“Once you discover EC Stilson’s writing, you’ll look forward like I do to reading her stories every morning on social media where she chronicles her journey of living with cancer. Despite all the pain and doubts and fears, she manages somehow to find the beauty and love available to all of us who are lucky enough to breathe and savor the mystery of life. Stilson has an indomitable spirit and a voice like an angel, and her words lift my spirits daily as I read about her ongoing quest for meaning as she deals with a deadly disease. Every day she manages to squeeze yet another drop of kindness and love out of her life to share with her readers. And in the process of writing about her life, she reminds us all to search our own lives for love and beauty... for as long as life lasts.”
– Bruce Black, Author of “Writing Yoga” and Editorial Director of The Jewish Writing Project
“Each post Elisa writes starts with a small glimpse into her world: her family, her treatments, her journey. Those small glimpses always expand into breathtaking views of Elisa’s universe, which never fail to make me see my world from new and wonderful angles. She has changed my life by revealing her unimaginable situation with the sheer beauty of her words.”
– Alison DeLuca, Author of “The Night Watchman Express”
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