Cover design is final obstacle to publication of 2nd edition of Woody Weingarten's 'Rollercoaster'

A single design element yet to be decided for its cover is the final barrier to publication of the second edition of Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner's breast cancer or any other lethal disease.

Believe it or not, I, Woody Weingarten, its author, am still struggling to find the best way to disclose on the cover — without screening screwing up the initial design — that it's a completely updated edition. 

It should, however, be only a few weeks, and the addition of a few minute details on the copyright page, before the book will be made available to the public through vendors like Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Keep an eye on my https://woodyweingarten.com/ website to see when the book is launched.

Nancy Fox

The new volume includes up-to-date information on meds and treatments and where to get help, as well as two fresh chapters about the development of my wife's breast cancer, which returned after almost 30 years. 

Overall, it's even more of a tribute to Nancy Fox's bravery. flexibility, and humanness than was the first edition.

Several chapters have been switched around, for clarity, and new transition chapters have been inserted.

I spent an entire year reworking the book so it is current, easy-to-read (sans medical jargon), and useful as a guide to the emotional rollercoaster breast cancer or any other life-threatening disease might kidnap a patient or partner.

I, a longtime voting member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theater Critics Circle, can be contacted by email at voodee@sbcglobal.net or on both of my websites, https://woodyweingarten.comand https://vitalitypress.com. My books include Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner’s breast cancer, aimed at male caregivers; MysteryDates — How to keep the sizzle in your relationship; The Roving I, a compilation of 70 of my newspaper columns; and Grampy and His Fairyzona Playmates, a whimsical fantasy intended for 6- to 10-year-olds that I co-authored with my then 8-year-old granddaughter.

 

Promising pancreatic cancer pill can be taken while it's under regulatory review, FDA says

The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded access to a promising new drug for pancreatic cancer.

According to a recent story in The Washington Post by Christopher Rowland, "more patients will be able to take the pill while it is under regulatory review. The agency said it recognizes the dire need for a drug to fight one of the most lethal cancers."

The experimental drug was approved two days after the FDA received an access application from the drug's manufacturer, Revolution Medicines.

Dr. Marty Makary

The ultra-quick approval of daraxonrasib "reflects the FDA's strong commitment to facilitate early access to therapies for serious and life-threatening conditions, including pancreatic cancer," the story quotes former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary as saying. 

In trials, the drug "has doubled average survival time for pancreatic cancer patients who have already received conventional treatment," the article continues. "The expanded access program, also known as 'compassionate use,' will be limited to that set of patients as well."

Makary's piece also indicates that the "company said it will provide the drug at no cost to patients in the program. Insurance typically does not cover expanded access drugs before they have been approved."

In one clinical trial, "patients had a median survival of 13.2 months compared with 6.7 months for those people receiving chemotherapy," the story adds.

More information on clinical trials can be found in Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner's breast cancer, aVitalityPress book that I, Woody Weingarten aimed at male caregivers. My other books are MysteryDates — How to keep the sizzle in your relationship; The Roving I, a compilation of 70 of my newspaper columns; and Grampy and His Fairyzona Playmates, a whimsical fantasy intended for 6- to 10-year-olds that I co-authored with my then 8-year-old granddaughter. Check out my website at https://woodyweingarten.com for details.