Our Last Six Months
An Illustrated Memoir About Life, Cancer, End-of-Life Care, Love, Family, and Forgiveness
About the book
“When single dad Aubrey reveals that he has stage 4 cancer, ‘normal life’ goes out the window for his ex-wife and their son. They and others witness his brave efforts to heal himself in his final months of life as he struggles to come to terms with his mortality. The family learns on their feet as they encounter each new situation. The narrative shares an unsentimental description of the patient’s experiences with hospitals and nursing care, end-of-life decisions he encounters, activities of his caregivers, responsibilities of his healthcare advocates, and the role of professional helpers such as Social Workers and Hospice.
“This real-life story showcases what millions of people in the United States go through when dealing with end-of-life choices and healthcare, governmental and health insurance bureaucracies, and the profound effects of poverty on health. In the face of all these challenges, the generosity of Aubrey’s family, friends, and community makes all the difference.
“This unusual hybrid book conveys much of the story visually, through hundreds of cartoons, comics, and painted illustrations integrated with the text. There is a tremendous depth of tenderness in the telling, even a dose of humor. Ultimately, this book is a heart-warming celebration of life and love.”
210 pages
9” x 7” paperback
ISBN: 9781947758032
Maine Authors Publishing, 2018
$21.95
Grand Prize Winner
“More than a memoir, Our Last Six Months serves as a case study and conversation-starter for those end-of-life decisions that many families put off until a crisis hits.”
—Winning Writers 2018 North Street Book Prize announcement
“I enjoyed Our Last Six Months so much. It is heartfelt and thoughtful and a damn good read. What a great way to remember Aubrey, and to help others who find themselves in the land of the sick. Bravo!”
—Lynne Assaf, hospital clinical social worker
“Emily, your book is absolutely a treasure. [We] are both picking it up throughout the day and reading/looking at it slowly. Really, it's an exceptional work in many, many ways. This book is destined to be helpful to lots of people over years.”
—Sarah Corson
“This is more than a memoir — it is an essential guidebook for others in similar difficult situations. The author gives us a direct and true account in an honest and openhearted way, never maudlin or sentimental. Illustrations help to tell this story with warmth and humor. This is a gem of a book.”
—Jeanie Smith, Board President, The Whole Heath Center
“I spent almost the entirety of the day curled up reading your book, in the company of its art and authenticity. Just finished the very last page. Such a dense amount of journeying over those months over such new territory!”
—Angie
“I can hardly put it down!! It's like a LONG LETTER from you. I ‘hear’ you talking to me. I just finished reading it. I'm almost at a loss for words. OMG! I linger in the cradle of this amazing story and am in AWE that you could capture and tell it so well in this unusual ‘new’ format! Maybe I should just say READ it, everyone. You'll see… you'll see!”
—Dr. Pam Rowland
“Great book! I read it the day after the [Graphic Medicine] Comics & Medicine conference in the hotel and on the plane.”
—Anonymous
“I love the way you tell these stories — compassionately, always with a sense of fairness, amazing honesty, and with a moving balance of pathos and humor. The cartoons are so approachable, they pull you into the story!”
—Mike
“Excellent. I also enjoyed it very much. [My wife] passed it on to a friend with a sister in the last phases. A great resource for personal inner work and functionally outer work.”
—Ron
“The book’s title and subtitle summarize beautifully what this poignant volume has to offer Aubrey’s extended family and many friends. For them it will be a page-turner, then to be cherished for a lifetime. But for any reader it will serve the important task of providing an impetus (and perhaps the needed strength) to address his or her own end-of-life decisions. And its subtle blend of public healthcare information, pathos, and gentle humor, is a tour de force that will help elevate the emerging graphic-memoir genre into the literary mainstream. However, this book has far wider significance than its roles as a memento to a life modestly and bravely lived and a monument to the author’s selfless agape. It relentlessly exposes the true underbelly of our country’s shamefully deplorable healthcare system, especially as it functions for individuals of limited means. Not only must our healthcare bureaucracy learn from this book, but it is my hope that it will also be read and digested by our state and national politicians in hopes that they can work toward the changes necessary to bring our country in line with the world’s other highly developed and industrialized nations with respect to national healthcare."
—Arthur H. Westing
“Hi, Emily, I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Westing’s description as a ‘subtle blend of public healthcare information, pathos, and gentle humor’ except to disagree with the term ‘subtle’ — all those aspects are deliciously right in the reader’s face. I really exulted in that, and in your endless alternation between journaling and reflecting. There were times when I’d read a paragraph and just sit back and smile in the way one would while savoring a particularly flavorful bite of food.”
—Dick Atlee
“I am about halfway through your book. I am so grateful that you wrote it because there are threads of similarity. I can relate to so, so much, and I realize that I was doing the best I could without a road map. I had not walked this journey before, nor had I anticipated the need. Maybe your book would have helped me. I am thinking so. May it be a gift to others, thank you. I cannot put it down. Your sweet sketches and format relieve the reader of the heavy nature of the subject.”
—Barbara