Amazon Katharine Giovanni's Website Category:  Inspirational Publisher: NewRoad Publishing ISBN-10:  1931109044 Pages: 165 Copyright: June 30, 2015 ISBN-13: 9781931109048 Stuck in a field of banana peels? Get some tips on how to get through life changing situations including breast cancer  Author Katharine Giovanni has always met life with positivity and laughter, and she needed every bit of that life-saving attitude the day the doctor told her, “You have cancer.” Cancer was a big banana peel field, but Giovanni was determined to make it through that field to the rainbows in her life. In her inimitable and straight-talking way, she shares how to survive cancer, or any banana peel field, with grace. This book is for you if you: Are facing your own banana peel field (illness, loss of a loved one, money problems, a failing relationship). Are serious about changing your life. Would like to live in joy and peace. Need to figure out how to be positive instead of negative and begin attracting great things into your life. This book is part memoir and part self-help guide. It includes Katharine’s GAAB Life 21-Day Challenge. GAAB Life = Going Above And Beyond to create a happy life! Begin your journey today. Rainbows await you. Excerpt The Cancer Fields - Chapter 11 I paused, leaned back in my chair, and reread what I’d just written. Since it was getting dark outside, I went downstairs, cracked open an ice-cold O’Doul’s, and looked for Ron. I was tired and needed to think about something else for a while. He suggested we go out for a quick dinner. Perfect, I said. The following morning I was at my desk again. Change. That’s what the last two decades were all about, I thought, and it wasn’t always pretty. I wasn’t kidding when I said I’ve slipped on some serious banana peels in my life. As I gazed out my office window, my mind started to wander back to the biggest banana peel field of my life. Within minutes, the memories took me back to the week before my fiftieth birthday. ---------- I woke up as I usually do and headed straight for the coffee pot. A fewminutes later, I was sitting at our kitchen table reading the newspaper when I got the strangest urge. I felt like I should take up jogging. Not earth shattering for most of you, but considering I have been severely allergic to exercise my entire life, this was a serious thought for me. Ron couldn’t believe it. For days, I tried to banish the thought from mind, but I couldn’t. I just couldn’t shake the feeling in my gut that I had to start jogging. God, it seemed, for whatever reason really wanted me to get some exercise. So thinking I was having a mid-life crisis, a few days later I updated my status on Facebook and casually mentioned that I was thinking about taking up jogging. A friend immediately commented that I should try the Couch-to-5K® Running Plan. Why not? I thought. So off I went. For the next year, I ran every other day and managed to get myself up to two miles. Fantastic! I just loved it. On my runs, I listened to great music and meditated. It was a chance to be with nature and contemplate my life. About halfway through the year, the weight started to come off of me. I went from a size 12–14 to a 10, and by March 2012, I was down to an 8. I thought it was great! There was a darkness to the weight loss, though, and I instinctively knew it. Something wasn’t right. The weight was coming off too fast. My cheeks were sinking into my face, and my clothes were hanging on me. Even my engagement ring didn’t fit anymore. On May 19, 2012, the day before my birthday, I found myself entering the darkest banana peel field of my life. I was in the shower when I found the lump on my left side. More than a little startled, I dried myself off, put on a robe, and found Ron. Although it was in a very strange place, he felt it, too. On the morning of May 21, I was in the doctor’s office. “That’s definitely a lump,” she said after examining me. “Why don’t you sit here, and I’ll make a few calls.” She put her hand on my shoulder and gave me a warm smile. She then twirled around and bolted for the door. Bolted! Okay, the fact that my doctor just ran out of the examination room is probably not a good sign, I thought miserably. For the next few hours, I was scanned, poked, and prodded by a battery of people. Apparently, I fell in the 10 percent of people who had such dense breasts that mammograms didn’t work on me. Wish I had known that before. They could all feel the lump; they just couldn’t see it. Eventually, they did a sonogram and found it. I knew it was bad when the radiologist himself asked me if I needed a referral for a good surgeon. “No, thank you. My doctor has already set me up with one,” I politely replied. “Good. You should see them this week,” he said. “Tomorrow would be good.” His body language told me that it was bad. Damn. As I left his office, he turned to me and shook my hand. “Your doctor should have the results in a few days. Good luck, Mrs. Giovanni.” It felt like a death sentence. As I walked to my car, I wondered how long I had to live. I didn’t mention this exchange to Ron, but it haunted me for days. By the next morning, we were at the surgeon’s office getting a biopsy. Afterwards, she spent several minutes telling us what would happen if it was cancer. Both Ron and the doctor were trying to be positive, but in my heart, I already knew it was cancer. The lump was just too large to be anything else. Besides, I was not feeling particularly well and was tired all the time. We spoke for a few minutes more, then Ron and I left. “You know, this lump is in such an odd spot, that if I hadn’t taken up jogging and lost all that weight, I would never have found it,” I randomly blurted out to Ron in the car. “It’s a good thing you do self-exams,” he said. His eyes stayed on the road, but I could hear the emotion in his voice. He was desperately trying to remain calm. “Running literally saved my life. If I hadn’t listened to God’s voice in my head, I might be dead.” “Yes, but you’re not. Plus, we don’t have the test results yet, so don’t worry until we have something to worry about,” he replied. “Yes, but what if it is cancer? Did I catch it in time?” “Let’s not worry until we know the results.” Unable to speak any further, we drove the rest of the way home in stunned silence. As luck would have it, I was really busy for the next few days. It was a blessing as it took my mind off of my prognosis for a while. My oldest son was graduating from high school, and I had to fly to Portland a few days later to do a customer-service workshop. I knew that with my luck, the doctor would call with the lab results while I was in Portland, and I didn’t need the distraction while I was speaking to a group. The timing was horrible, but the show must go on. As I packed my suitcase, I stuffed the cancer and everything that word implied to the back of my mind. “Please don’t call me when I’m in Portland,” I told Ron as we drove to the airport. “Why not?” he replied. “Because I know you too well. If the doctor calls and the test results are positive, I’ll hear it in your voice and I won’t be able to do this workshop. So just text me instead. Okay?” “I understand. No problem,” he said. For the rest of the trip we talked about everything and nothing, just enjoying being with each other. The possibility of cancer had already changed our lives, and we understood how fragile life could be. As I leaned in to give him a kiss good-bye, I could see the pain in his eyes, and it crushed me. Deep down, he knew it was bad, too. I could see it written all over his face. We hugged each other tighter than ever when he dropped me off. Since I didn’t want him to see me crying, I turned away quickly and strode into the terminal. A tear ran down my cheek unchecked as I searched for my gate. When I arrived in Portland, Ron kept his word and texted me the entire time. He purposely kept his texts loving, positive, and motivational. Although the hotel was extremely nice, I barely noticed as I paced my room back and forth. My mind was racing, and I couldn’t stem the dark thoughts that kept creeping into my mind. I texted Ron for over an hour and then spent another hour on the phone with my close friend, Lisa Ann. They were my lifeline to sanity and kept me grounded and sane so that I could conduct the workshop the following morning. The gig in Portland went really well, and I flew home happy that the client was pleased with the workshop. When I landed, I went to baggage claim and waited for my bag. I knew Ron was outside in the car waiting for me because I texted him from the plane when we landed. I also intuitively knew what he was going to say when I saw him. I grabbed my bag off the carousel and took a deep breath to center myself. To stop my hand from shaking, I stuffed it in my pocket and walked as calmly as I could to the revolving door. I saw Ron standing by the car the minute I got outside. His face told me the whole story. No words were spoken. We just hugged each other and cried. Stage 3 breast cancer. Triple positive. The disease that killed my grandmother and my mother. As we silently drove home, I asked myself the million dollar question: How much time do I have left? I shook my head to rid myself of the memory and stared blankly at the computer in front of me. Cancer. What a life-changing word. As a tear began to quietly fall down my cheek, I began to type again.

Debbie Leoni, Professional Speaker and Fearless Coach
“What a compelling, beautifully and gracefully written memoir! Giovanni models fearlessness in the face of adversity with such powerful energy, one can only have belief that anything is possible. With compassion and humor, Giovanni provides knowledge and skills to realize that we, too, can become unstoppable. An utterly inspiring book!”

Jackie Farley, Professor of Women’s Studies at the University of Oklahoma, Motivational Speaker, and C.E.O. of Wise Women Incorporated
“Every cancer survivor thinks about how they would like to tell their story to help the next person maneuver through the cancer minefield but few of us can put the feelings and the words together. Katharine’s story shows us that our past is not our destination. Her account of the journey from her familial banana peel field through the unimaginable diagnosis of breast cancer is an inspiring roadmap that gives all of us the tools to survive.”

Millen Livis, Coach, Entrepreneur, Author, “Live in integrity with your dreams”
Katharine says, “The trick to creating a successful life is to get back up after you fall.” In this honest book (part memoir, part self-help), Katharine shares the story of her own banana peel fields – the biggest one being a stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis followed by two years of treatments including 6 surgeries and 455 days of chemo and radiation. Instead of getting angry and giving up, Katharine decides to fight for life with grace and positivity. As a cancer survivor, she shares some important tips and tools with readers including a positive life song playlist, a chapter on healthy eating, a chapter with 33 tips to stay positive for when the … hits the fan, and a 21-day challenge program with exercises and worksheets to help live a life of going above and beyond. The book also includes pieces of writing by her two sons and husband, offering the perspective of the caregiver. Though this book will most certainly be invaluable to those who have received a cancer diagnosis, it is also for anyone who is going through any life challenges and would like to see things in a different way.