A breast cancer suvival has written a great book about how humor helped her get through breast cancer. You’ll get a kick out of the book’s title.
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Written By Sharma Howard
Originally found in the Norwich Bulletin
In the news: Eileen Kaplan, 65, of Bozrah, has written a book about surviving breast cancer titled “Laughter is the Breast Medicine.”
Family: Kaplan and her husband, Arnold, have two daughters, Marcy and Dana, and a grandson.
Background: Kaplan first worked as an X-ray technologist. She owned a stationery business, Paper Unlimited, in the 1970s and then became a real estate agent. Later, she worked for the state Department of Labor until 1994, then worked for the Department of Children and Families from 1994 to 2005.
Diagnosis and treatment: Kaplan was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. She underwent a lumpectomy and then discovered a tumor on her left breast, and underwent a bi-lateral mastectomy. She has also undergone chemotherapy and radiation.
Her inspiration: Her doctors suggested she write a book, because they told her that throughout her treatment, her sense of humor kept them “laughing and blushing.” “I joked and fooled around with the medical team. They deal with cancer on a daily basis and that’s how I deal with things — with humor.”
About the book: Kaplan has marketed it herself through EyeKap Press. The 80-page book covers many issues and is broken down into short chapters. It is available at The William W. Backus Hospital, The Lawrence & Memorial Hospital Gift Shop, Borders in Waterford, and Bank Square Books in Mystic, and through her Web site, www.laughteristhebreastmedicine.com.
Quotable: “Just because you’re diagnosed with breast cancer doesn’t mean you’re going to die, because treatments are getting better and better, and a great part of being well again is awareness and taking good care of yourself physically.”
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