I made this video following the publication of the first edition of my book about my recovery from a brain tumor, When Life Throws You Lemons…Make Cranberry Juice! in 2009. The first words I wrote in this book were echoes of what a friend (also a doctor) had said. “That’s a big tumor, Shari,”
My doctors had promised me that, even though it was large, the removal of this benign brain tumor (an acoustic neuroma) was something they did all the time, and that I had an excellent prognosis. They said I should spend five to ten days in the hospital, recovering at home for another three to four weeks, and I should not have major lasting effects.
I ended up spending nine months in the hospital. My body and face will never look or feel like it did before the surgery.
Whenever someone is going through a tough time, people grasp for the “right” words. Some tell you to put your faith in God; others tell you to see the glass as half-full.
“Think positive!”
“It could be worse!”
“What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.”
“God won’t give you anything you can’t handle.”
And of course: “When life throws you lemons, make lemonade”
I decided to put a sarcastic twist on that last one and use it as my title.
My favorite drink is cranberry juice mixed with lemonade. When life throws you lemons, make cranberry juice! Take life’s lemons, and add some sugar and cranberries. But where can you find life’s cranberries? While my lemons had always been large, sour, and smacking me in the face, my cranberries had always been small and elusive. I really had to pay attention to find my cranberries, and I had to be willing to recognize them. My cranberries ranged from a rub on my shoulder to a friend installing my dishwasher.
I published an updated edition in 2020, including my work with healthcare professionals (and students) on expressing empathy, life with a service dog, and more Steve Young encounters! The book chronicles my journey through diagnosis of a benign brain tumor, surgery to remove it, complications, rehab and returning to my life!
