Living Without a Finish Line
Four months after her wedding, Anne McAuley Lopez was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. There was no ringing a bell to mark the end of treatment, because for her, there was no end. Just a new life to build around a daily pill, a chronic illness with no finish line, and the terrifying realization that cancer, for her, wasn’t a battle to win. It was something Anne now had to carry for the rest of her life.
We Don’t Get to Ring the Bell is an unflinchingly honest memoir about what happens after the fight narrative stops making sense, for anyone learning to live with cancer as a lifelong condition, and for the people who love them. Anne shares the medication routines, the hard conversations, the quiet grief, and the unexpected hope of building a real life inside a diagnosis that never fully leaves.
If you or someone you love is living with a chronic illness, this book won’t offer false promises of a finish line. It offers something better: proof that a full life is still possible on the other side of no cure, just not the one you expected.
About the
Author
Anne McAuley Lopez
Based in Charlotte, NC, Anne McAuley Lopez, the founder of Agency Content Writer, is a cancer warrior, author, book coach, and ghostwriter. She believes everyone has a story to tell and she would love to help you write your stories.
Specialties include high-impact content strategies for professionals, organizations, and brands, with expertise spanning business communications, branded storytelling, and long-form book projects. The agency’s Book Ghostwriting and Book Coaching services set a new standard for professionalism and results in personalized book publishing support.
Informative and Inspiring!
The author does a wonderful job of describing her experience/journey with CML and providing helpful information, resources, and hope for others who may also be struggling with CML or other related cancers. This book is insightful, vulnerable, and inspirational. As a therapist I will definitely be recommending this book to clients struggling with this and similar illnesses. I find the emphasis on self-care and learning your body and limits to be incredibly important. This is an excellent resource for patients, caregivers and loved ones!
Personal, Helpful, A great look into one’s experience with chronic disease
Anne McAuley Lopez does a great job both sharing her personal experience and providing guidance to others with chronic disease. She is very open about her experience both mentally and physically. She provides guidance on how to take control of one’s personal healthcare and how to work with providers, insurers, and everyone in between. This is a great read not just for those with a chronic illness.
A true walking miracle warrior
As a two-time cancer survivor myself, the title of Anne’s book caught my attention. From the first page to the last, Anne does a wonderful job showing us what it’s like to live with a chronic disability. Reading her story hit home and her writing style drew me in as if I were there alongside her. Her book is filled with honesty, hope, and love, and mixed with real facts to help others with and without CML. As Anne mentions, most of us get to ring the bell. I did. Unfortunately, Anne, and many others, don’t get to. Still, Anne’s spirit shines bright.