Walking the Journey Together... Alone

Cam Scott was a newspaper man. One of his goals in life was to move up the ladder in order to become a publisher. He also loved his family and wanted to spend as much time as possible with his wife and two children. Everything in his life began to change, however, when he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer when he was only forty-four years of age.

Cam wanted to continue working while his wife wanted him to quit work. She had hoped they could enjoy the time they had left together as she knew that they were not going to be able to experience retirement.

At first the prognosis for Cam was bleak. He began taking treatments with radiation and chemotherapy, always with the hope that they could stop the cancer. But they didn't. In fact, it spread to his lungs and his brain.

Finally it got to the point where there wasn't any treatment available because that could stop or slow the inevitable.

The amazing part of this story is that Cam lived to celebrate his fiftieth birthday - something that no one could guarantee or even predict.

During Cam's decline in health, he and his wife, who is the author of the book, set goals so that they had things to look forward to while they could still share them together. They purchased the car of Cam's dreams - a Porsche - went to concerts and travelled to Cam's home country of Scotland in order to be with family members.

Cam not only lived long enough to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding but also was able to celebrate her graduation as a Chartered Accountant. He strengthened the bond with his son and was honoured to attend the Golf Tournament that his son won and named for him. One of the greatest blessings was that Cam met and spent time with his first grandchild.

During the six years from diagnosis to death, Cam and Lorna moved to different cities. The stress of never knowing when there would be a medical crisis and the need to travel to Calgary for some treatments was tiring. Lorna often struggled with trying to balance her need to work with her commitment to her husband.

The extended family was often called to be with Cam and, at times, no one seemed to know what to expect or what role they might need to fill.

This book not only tells about the way that Cam went through his illness but also about the effect that it had on everyone who was close to him. It also gives a glimpse into the life that Lorna has developed for herself since she became a widow. She has set up a business, written a best-selling book and speaks to groups and individuals about the important lessons she learned about caring for oneself when you are also a caregiver for someone else.

Walking the Journey Together..Alone tells about the reality of living with cancer and offers strategies for coping through this.