Green Rubber Boots is about surviving cancer.
Author Kathleen Whitmer has great credentials for it – she is considered a medical miracle. The extremely experimental treatment she had at the National Institutes of Health has since helped thousands.

Almost as miraculous is the fact that she was able to write and draw about it (she is an artist) with such honesty, humor and hope.

It's an informative, encouraging book for patients, family members and healthcare workers seeking to understand serious illness.

Green Rubber Boots was used in a 6th grade class – a demonstration that it is easy to read, sparks discussion and shares life experiences that are important to everyone.

Green Rubber Boots, like its companion book, For the Asking, has a cover that features an original oil painting by the author, and her drawings illustrate the interior. Type is set generously large for easy reading by the ill or elderly.

Watch for Whitmer's next book, to be published in early 2004.

• Retired professor of art, Kent State University

• A native of Canton, Ohio, she lives with her husband in Akron, Ohio

• Cancer and transplant survivor

• Participant of a clinical study at the National Institutes of Health

• Cancer advocate and speaker

• Well-known and widely exhibited oil painter. The Harris Stanton Gallery in Akron, Ohio, handles Whitmer's paintings. You can reach the gallery at 2301 West Market Street or 330-867-7600.

Whitmer reaches out to thousands in lectures and seminars on wellness and happiness. She inspires others to find the good in any situation. Her triumph over cancer and her ability to capture the fascinating details of life during sickness and health will make you smile.

With both hands I reached under my right rib cage, and just like a grapefruit, the tumor fell onto the tips of my fingers. I quickly pulled away …. "What is that?" I asked. "Whatever it is, it's not supposed to be there," the doctor answered One day when I was in a nice little greeting card shop, I overheard a shopper ask the owner … if she had any cards for cancer patients. Innocently, I pointed to the get-well cards. She replied, "No, Honey, I need a card for a cancer patient. A get-well card wouldn't be appropriate." Wide-eyed, … she announced as plain as day, "Heavens, I heard you died. I've been sitting here all afternoon wondering how that man found a second wife that looked so much like his first wife."

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"If you think this is a tale of woe, think again….If there is a more upbeat, invigorating woman…our paths have yet to cross."
– Bob Dyer, author of Omar! My Life On and Off the Field

"Energetic and dynamic…conveys a very positive message."
– Terri Ulichney, Wellness Center Coordinator, Kent State University

"I am so grateful that a friend shared Green Rubber Boots with me. It is a beautiful book…warm, realistic and joyful."
– Mary Ann Mormody, Washington, DC

"Green Rubber Boots has been a real blessing to our support group."
– Linda Smith, Cancer Support Group, Akron, Ohio

Red Sky Books

Price:
U.S. $16.95
Canada: $25.95

Ohio residents, add sales tax: $1.28

Shipping:
U.S. $3.00
Additional copies $1.50 ea.
Canada $7.00
Additional copies $3.00 ea.
174 pages, paperback, ISBN: 0971294119

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