Logjam of a Beauteous Mind: An Infinitely Gentle Woman
A vivid, gripping and inspired portrayal of a loving Caregiver who leaves his exciting high-tech firm to stay at home with his frightened wife, Mona, a splendid woman diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer and given 3–6 months to live. How he helps her find threads of Hope to empower and transform her into a cancer warrior and survivor.
But…Mona’s mind betrayed her with a madness she called “Logjam chemo brain.” Like a brave soldier sent home from the wars with PTSD, Mona was dropped from the promising Sloan-Kettering clinical trial chemo that might have saved her life—and faced a psychiatric ward and death. How her loving Caregiver, a cat and “Orange Juice” managed to break her downward spiral?
“A Universal Love Story…A Beautiful, Deeply Human Well-Written Book. Mona’s Story will Move You,”
- Says author/editor Marcy Dermansky [The Red Car]
“Finding Love each Day while Worlds of Suffering, Fear, and Hope…whirled thru our challenged Lives Together,”
- Says “Logjam” author/caregiver Peter Simon Karp
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peter Simon Karp, President of BSI Global Research, Inc., and The Concept Testing Institute, became the instant “Caregiver” to his brilliant wife, Mona, when she was suddenly stricken with terminal lung cancer in her mid-50s. As Caregiver, he was with her every moment as they found the best doctors and most promising MSK clinical trial. When Mona’s mind betrayed her with “logjam chemo brain,” the hospital sent her home like a soldier with PTSD to face a psychiatric ward and death. But Caregiver and family team helped break her downward spiral, and Mona found the space to empower herself to become a cancer warrior and believer in her own “Survival”!
Peter’s time spent as Mona’s Caregiver constituted the finest moments of the author’s life, with her day-and-night trying to save the life of his beloved wife..
A Hobart College graduate with a Columbia MFA in playwriting, Peter coauthored “Competing on Value,” Amacom, and authored “Time Chords: Stones ~ Drowning,” two recent novellas.
Logjam of a Beauteous Mind
A creative memoir about the life of a remarkable woman written years after by her caregiver/husband.
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Book Details
Language : English
Publication Date : 11/20/2020
Format : Softcover
Dimensions : 6x9
Page Count : 336
ISBN : 9781728373140
Format : Hardcover
Dimensions : 6x9
Page Count : 336
ISBN : 9781728373133
Format : E-Book
Dimensions : N/A
Page Count : 336
ISBN : 9781728373126
About the Book
A vivid, gripping and inspired portrayal of Mona, a splendid woman, diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer & given 3-6 months to live. And her loving Caregiver, who leaves his high-tech firm to stay at home with his frightened wife to help her find the doctors, clinical treatment and “threads of Hope” to empower and transform herself into a feisty Cancer warrior and believer in her own Survival. Until Mona’s mind betrays her with a “Logjam chemo brain” madness, and she is dropped by Sloan-Kettering, sent home like a soldier with PTSD to face a psychiatric ward and death. How her loving Caregiver’s close family team & “Orange Juice” manage to break Mona’s downward spiral!
“A Universal Love Story. A Beautiful, Deeply-Human, Well-Written Book. Mona’s Story will Move You! It Reads like a Novel.”
— Author/Editor Marcy Dermansky [The Red Car]
“Karp and his wife, Mona, were surprised when a doctor diagnosed her with stage 4 lung cancer in 1993. The mother of two, in her mid- 50s, had never been a smoker.”
“Her chemotherapy had physical side effects…But Mona was most affected cognitively. She called it a ‘logjam’—a mental fogginess that marred her short-term memory and concentration. This bright woman, a former English teacher who loved travel, was now prone to psychotic episodes.”
“Karp’s book is both melancholic and engaging. His love and devotion to his wife are without question. He fondly details joyful moments, from the couple’s meet-cute decades earlier to bouts of happiness they reveled in post-diagnosis. The author’s generally unadorned prose in this touching memoir boasts instances of lyricism.”
“An absorbing and moving account of a couple’s fight against a terrible disease.”
— Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
PETER SIMON KARP, President of BSI Global Research, Inc., and The Concept Testing Institute, became the instant “Caregiver” to his brilliant wife, Mona, when she was suddenly stricken with terminal lung cancer in her mid-50s. As Caregiver, he was with her every moment as they found the best doctors and most promising MSK clinical trial. When Mona’s mind betrayed her with “logjam chemo brain,” the hospital sent her home like a soldier with PTSD to face a psychiatric ward and death. But Caregiver and family team helped break her downward spiral, and Mona found the space to empower herself to become a cancer warrior and believer in her own “Survival”! Peter’s time spent as Mona’s Caregiver constituted the finest moments of the author’s life, with her day-and-night trying to save the life of his beloved wife.. A Hobart College graduate with a Columbia MFA in playwriting, Peter coauthored “Competing on Value,” and authored,“Time Chords: Stones ~ Drowning,” two recent novellas.
Editorial Reviews
In this memoir, a man recounts his wife’s battle with terminal cancer as well as the treatment’s distressing side effects.
Karp and his wife, Mona, were surprised when a doctor diagnosed her with stage 4 lung cancer in 1993. The mother of two, in her mid-50s at the time, had never been a smoker. But when a second opinion gave them the same diagnosis, Mona began treatment at a cancer center in New York. The author, who worked for IBM, became her caregiver. Her chemotherapy had physical side effects the couple anticipated, like hair loss and constant fatigue. But Mona was most affected cognitively. She called it a “logjam”—a mental fogginess that marred her short-term memory and concentration. Mona’s history of mental illness made her particularly susceptible to conditions such as depression and paranoia. This bright woman, a former English teacher who loved to travel, was now prone to psychotic episodes. The road to recovery also had unforeseen hurdles, like Karp’s own medical scare. Through it all, Mona fought to survive the disease and to defy the lung specialist who gave her only six months to live. Karp’s book is both melancholic and engaging. He describes the worst of the chemo’s side effects, including when a paranoid Mona became convinced a friend had stolen the couple’s belongings. His love and devotion to his wife are without question. He fondly details joyful moments, from the couple’s meet-cute decades earlier to bouts of happiness they reveled in post-diagnosis. The author’s generally unadorned prose in this touching memoir boasts instances of lyricism. In describing Mona’s hospital roommate, he writes: “She removed the raincoat and soaked kerchief from her wispy gray hair, shaking her head several times to shed moisture from the chilly outside rain before leaning back on her bed and lighting the dry cigarette with an expert’s rhythmic snap of the cardboard match.”
An absorbing and moving account of a couple’s fight against a terrible disease.
- Kirkus Reviews