COURTESY OF "THE CANCER LIFELINE COOKBOOK"
	In chef Greg Atkinson's soothing Thai Chicken Soup, coconut milk adds subtle sweetness while baby bok choy offers a bit of crunch   Recipe: Thai Chicken Soup

My gut response told me something about myself. After three years of living with my wife Betsy's diagnosis, this disease still freaks me out. But perhaps it shouldn't. When Betsy was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2001 — yes, that September — we were naturally devastated. Yet, through the treatment, recovery and all the self-exploration that inevitably followed, we made discoveries about ourselves that we might never have made had the disease not happened. I, for one, discovered that my wife is both stronger and more fragile, braver and more beautiful than I had ever imagined. As the late comedian Gilda Radner so aptly put it, "Having cancer gave me membership in an elite club that I'd rather not belong to."

Having cancer in the family forced us to face our own mortality. More importantly, it allowed us to see the importance of accepting every day as a gift. Before cancer, we assumed we were immortal: "Nothing bad ever happens to us." Of course, we were woefully wrong; bad things happen to everyone. But people who live through bad things have an advantage: We get to grow up. Sure, I hate cancer, but that doesn't mean I can't live with it.

So I opened the book and started perusing its 90 recipes. Baked Sweet Potato Fries, Honey-Glazed Green Beans with Almonds, Oat and Date Scones. This stuff looked good.

There was Axis executive chef Alvin Binuya's Summer Rolls with Red Chili-Peanut Dipping Sauce. Wow, I thought, Tom Douglas' Recipe for Ruby Chard with Garlic, Chili and Lemon. I've made that before! And whoa! Look at that! Greg Atkinson's Thai Chicken Soup. I'd almost forgotten that I, too, had contributed a recipe to this book.

"Kimberly Mathai, one of the book's authors, has demonstrated your recipe at Cancer Lifeline headquarters," Lifeline executive director Barbara Frederick told me. Flattered, I liked the book more than ever. But seriously, this is a great book, and a great resource for people living with cancer.

The section on the "Top Ten Super Foods" sounds like something lifted from Reader's Digest, but the list is interesting and valuable. I think Sasquatch should reproduce it as a poster. I'd reproduce the list here, but I want you to buy the book because the proceeds support the programs offered at Cancer Lifeline.

The center, in Seattle's Green Lake neighborhood, has been operating since 1972, offering a wide variety of classes, support groups, presentations and opportunities for gardening, painting and poetry — all aimed at optimizing the quality of life for people living with cancer.

"We try to offer the things the medical community cannot offer," explains Frederick. "We deliberately chose a residential setting, located well away from 'Pill Hill' and all the hospitals." That allows people who've already spent more time than they would have liked in medical settings, a chance to gather in a quiet, noninstitutional environment.

Best of all, the services at Cancer Lifeline are free (workplace consultation excepted).

"Nutrition education has always been a big part of our programs," says Frederick, and about seven years ago, the lifeline produced a book called "What to Eat Now" (Sasquatch Books, $14.95). Co-authored by Rachael Keim and Ginny Smith, that book did very well and went into three printings. "But nutritional advice is constantly changing, and we felt it was time for a new book." A $25,000 grant from Genentech, a San Francisco-based biotechnology-research company, made the book possible.

"Cancer, as you know, can be very isolating," says Frederick, "so we try to offer a sense of inclusion rather than one of isolation." Even people whose lives have never been touched by cancer will get a lot out of this book, including some great tips for preventing cancer. But those who have been affected will get more. As Radner so wisely said, "If it wasn't for the downside, having cancer would be the best thing, and everyone would want it." This book helps us cope with that dang downside.