Grace and Grit: Spirituality and Healing in the Life and Death of Treya… (1991)

This is a deep love story of the author and his new wife battling cancer, understanding life’s meaning and finally death from the world-renowned philosopher and psychologist.

The incredible story of Ken Wilber's first wife and her struggle with cancer. Ken Wilber is an innovative philosopher and long-time meditator, and he weaves many fascinating ideas into the narrative. The story is very sad, but an inspiring example of how meditation and other practices can help us remain "well" even when the body is dying. Also, a critical examination of the New Age trope that illness is "caused" by emotional or mental patterns. Recommended for anyone dealing with chronic disease. ( )

When Ken and Treya met it was love at first touch. They just hugged and hugged. A few months later they were married. 10 days after marrying they found out that Treya had breast cancer. This is the story of how they dealt with the cancer, the treatment and Treya's final days. It deals honestly with the pain and the overwhelming work that dealing with cancer can be both for the patient and the caregiver. Ken is a writer and philosopher and this is quite clearly reflected in the book while the two of them try to come to terms with cancer and try to understand why them and why now.

It is a story with deep sadness but the two of them have such a feeling of heartfelt joy in the world and in their lives that it seeps through. Yes sometimes the philosophising can be a bit much, and you would need to know something about Buddhism to get some of what's going on, but still it's an interesting variation on the theme. A book I could only read in small amounts at a time to fully understand what was going on. ( )

This is the story of a couple who finds out about the wife's cancer within months of their wedding. The book is told from the husband's viewpoint with the addition of entries from the wife's journal from the time. It portrays the changes in their relationship and their spirituality as they explore different treatments for the cancer and ways of dealing with the many ways the illness impacts their lives. A remarkable book! ( )