Had I Known

by Joan Lunden

  I was very lucky to have such amazing medical doctors to guide me throughout this crisis: my oncologists Dr. Ruth Oratz, Dr. Tracey Weisberg, and Dr. Dickerman Hollister, and my breast cancer surgeon, Dr. Barbara Ward. I also want to thank my radiation oncologist Dr. Ashwastha Narayana and his amazing staff and also my radiologist Dr. Gail Calamari, who first found my tumor. Thank you too to Dr. Albert Knapp who has been my lead medical doctor for decades and who helped me put together my cancer team. And, deep gratitude to Dr. Cliff Hudis, who helped me find Dr. Weisberg in Maine when I needed to make the move.

  My journey was made so much easier and kinder by some wonderful nurses: Beth Taubes in Dr. Oratz’s office; Dawn Whitten and Jenny Jamaison in Maine; Joy Paul, Nancy Scofield, Mary Beth McFadden, Manny Acevedo, Lynn Carbino, in Greenwich; Heidi Malin, Carolyn Troy, Cindy Coyman, Dean Oliver in Radiology. You are my heroes. I thank you all for helping me to feel brave and strong, even when I wasn’t feeling so brave and strong!

  I would never have known to get an ultrasound and perhaps my cancer may have gone undetected for some time if I hadn’t been given the lifesaving advice by breast cancer pioneer Dr. Susan Love several years ago during an interview we did together. I truly believe that interview saved my life, and for that I will be forever grateful to her.

  A special thank you to my good friend, confidante, and personal trainer, Beth Bielat, who really is so much more than my fitness trainer. Throughout my treatment, Beth helped keep my head on straight, my feet moving, my breathing from the belly, and my emotions in control—and even brought me home-cooked meals many mornings in Tupperware to help me maintain my clean eating program. Beth has helped me change my health and wellness and has also been a wonderful partner in putting together Camp Reveille to help inspire other women to make the same commitment in their lives.

  I never knew that nutrition could play such a huge role in my ability to make it through chemotherapy. Thank you Dr. Rob Zembroski for teaching me the ropes of clean eating and the value of how food can sometimes be your most important medicine.

  Many thanks to Michael DeBerry, the head chef at Camp Takajo during the summer. Michael prided himself on whipping up dishes that complied with Dr. Z’s “clean eating” requirements while still managing to taste great. We both had fun finding ways to add blueberries to couscous and veggies to give it a sweet zing. No sugar, No problem. With his help, I was able to maintain my clean eating throughout my cancer treatment and beyond.

  Within days of making my diagnosis public I immediately heard from some of the top philanthropic leaders in breast cancer. Leonard Lauder, not only of Estée Lauder fame but also a loving husband to his late wife, Evelyn, who bravely battled breast cancer and founded the Breast Cancer Research Foundation with her oncologist Dr. Larry Norton. Evelyn lost a later battle with ovarian cancer. I thank Leonard for being a supportive presence throughout my journey. Nancy Brinker called me as soon as she heard the news of my diagnosis. Nancy’s sister Susan Komen lost her battle with breast cancer at only thirty-six, and Nancy made a promise to her dying sister to do whatever she could to support others battling the disease and to find a cure. Her accomplishments have been beyond anyone’s wildest imagination. I so admire her compassion and dedication to women everywhere and her determination.

  The public telling of this story truly began with those first words spoken on the air at my alma mater, ABC TV. A very special thanks to Robin Roberts and my Good Morning America family for their kindness in helping me say those difficult words to America—that “I have cancer.” Robin has been a friend to me when I needed it the most and I will forever be thankful for our sisterhood.

  I’d also like to thank Kate Coyne, senior editor at People magazine for helping me make a huge life decision. It was her generous support and perseverance that helped me understand the importance of allowing myself to be photographed bald for their September 2014 cover in order to become a voice for thousands of others battling cancer.

  A big thank you to Ruven Afanador, the amazingly talented photographer who took that photograph that would change my life forever. Thank you, Ruven, for helping me to bravely look into your lens with a positive attitude and the twinkle in my eye that I needed, to be able to pull off that cover shot. Also thank you to Freddie Leiba, who styled me that day and made me feel glamorous enough in my clothes that I could comfortably take off my wig.

  And for that People shoot and far, far beyond, Emir Pehilj keeps me looking like a fresh, “ready for your close-up” Joan Lunden wherever I go, caring for both my makeup and my hair, or in the case of the last year—my wigs and peach fuzz. He makes it so much easier to put on a happy face in the midst of an unexpected crisis. Emir is such an amazing artist whom I greatly appreciate not only for his talent but for his loyalty as a friend.

  When it comes to making the right decisions with respect to the press, you can’t ask for anyone better than Stan Rosenfield. He not only helps me keep things in perspective but helps me approach everything with a sense of humor. Thank you, Stan, for stepping in when I need you most, but especially for being there when I faced making the difficult announcement of my cancer diagnosis. I can always depend on you to help steer me in the right direction.

  I also want to thank my dear friend, confidant, and sage adviser, my attorney Marc Chamlin. He’s been through a lot of chapters of my life over the past several decades, helping me navigate my path. I consider myself most fortunate to have Marc there with me on this journey.

  I also want to thank Rick Hersh for his unwavering support throughout my journey.

  And I absolutely must thank Richard Koenigsberg, my financial confidant, and his staff who helped me navigate through the financial minefield of my cancer care treatment.

  To many, a cancer diagnosis can make them very nervous about their career, and I was no different. However, I have the good fortune to work with several wonderful companies that rallied around me throughout this challenging time. I am eternally grateful to Dr. Howard Murad and the entire Murad family for supporting me over the last year. And to everyone at A Place for Mom, especially Tracey Fitzgerald, thank you for your patience and your loving kindness.

  Sometimes out of life’s most challenging moments come our most precious experiences. That happened for me when my good friends at the Today show asked me to join them as a special correspondent for Breast Cancer Awareness. Joining them for #pinkpower was one of the most inspiring and rewarding weeks of television I’ve ever been a part of. I especially want to thank Matt Lauer, Hoda Kotb, and the entire Today show team who welcomed me so graciously and made me feel so comfortable, especially Debbie Kosofsky and her production staff. I will always be grateful for the warm reception everyone showed me at a time I needed it most.

  By sharing my journey with the world I have had a unique opportunity to connect with thousands of Americans who have been touched by cancer or illness in some way and who reached out to me via social media. I’d like to thank each and every one of you who motivate me to fight the good fight, as they say.

  Elaine Capillo and Ali Barrella work day in and day out in my office on the many details that keep my life running, not only throughout the months of my breast cancer treatment but every day. Your dedication, hard work, and support are more appreciated than you will ever know.

  I know I always love seeing behind-the-scene photos, so we kept a camera nearby all throughout this journey. Facing your mortality also prompts you to review your life and as I did so, I tried to find photos to reflect that as well.

  I met Laura Morton, my coauthor, as I made my way through another life transition—taking charge of my health and my happiness as I turned forty. I had morphed from a sedentary, unhealthy, overworked mom of three to a fit, healthy, happy person and she was there to document it—first in Workout America, a fitness video, and then in the books Healthy Cooking and Healthy Living. Having lived through profoundly life-changing chapters with her, I knew that I would only want to share bringing this journey to l
ife with Laura. Thank you, Laura, for caring as much about me and about my story as you do. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I think it was meant to be that you would write about this breast cancer journey, for you shared a similar journey with your mother, who was taken from you at much too early an age by cancer. I am sure that she is looking down and is so very proud of you.

  I want to thank my literary agent, Mel Berger, at William Morris Endeavor for his support and guidance. He shares my dedication to inform and empower women about breast cancer.

  From our very first meeting, I knew that HarperCollins would be the perfect home for this book. My sincerest thanks to everyone on the HarperCollins team who has worked so hard to help create this book and for their efforts to get it into your hands. I especially want to thank my publisher, Jonathan Burnham, and I also want to thank Lisa Sharkey for sharing my passion for this project and for her guidance along the way. A special thanks to my editor, Amy Bendell; Alieza Schvimer; associate publisher Kathy Schneider; my PR and marketing team, Tina Andreadis, Katie O’Callaghan, Leah Wasielewski, Leslie Cohen; and art director Gregg Kulick, for his beautiful cover design.

  And to my mom, Gladyce: I may not have faced this challenge with the same positive attitude had you not instilled in me at an early age the knowledge that I am strong and that nothing is impossible and that every cloud has a silver lining.

  Finally, to my dad, my compassionate, dedicated, amazing dad, who I’ve always looked up to, and who I always wanted to make proud. I think of you each and every day and when I stand before all the different cancer organizations speaking, I am not standing there alone—you are right next to me, smiling proudly, which fills my heart with great joy.

  About the Authors

  JOAN LUNDEN was the cohost of Good Morning America for nearly two decades, bringing insight to the day’s top stories, from presidential elections to health & wellness. Her bestselling books include Joan Lunden’s Healthy Cooking, Joan Lunden’s Healthy Living, Wake-Up Calls, and A Bend in the Road Is Not the End of the Road. Joan speaks all over the country about health & wellness, inspiration, and success. Her online TV channel created for the breast cancer community, ALIVE with Joan Lunden (AliveWithJoan.com) and her website, JoanLunden.com, have quickly become go-to sources of information for women, bringing together experts on a myriad of relevant topics for today’s woman. In October 2014, Joan joined NBC’s Today Show as a Special Correspondent for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

  LAURA MORTON is the author of more than forty books, including nineteen New York Times bestsellers. She has worked with Susan Lucci, Al Roker, Melissa Etheridge, Sandra Lee, and Justin Bieber among many others.

  Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.

  Credits

  Cover design by Gregg Kulick

  Cover photographs © Ruven Afanador

  Copyright

  HAD I KNOWN. Copyright © 2015 by Joan Lunden Productions, Inc. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  FIRST EDITION

  ISBN 978-0-06-240408-4

  EPub Edition SEPTEMBER 2015 ISBN 9780062404114

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