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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories 10 things to know for Friday They got algorithm Posters about missing teen will be distributed Competition keen at first city chili cookoff Alice Hardesty shares healing memoir Education Ashland schools expand chicken pox exclusion rules Students go behind the scenes at hospital Ashland robotics team aims to build a winner AHS ranked No. 7 by Niche College debt load balloons: What could, should be done? 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In memoriam: 2014’s notable deaths Sports Latest Stories Respect: sock it to him A Grizz sweep Heisman winner Mariota says he's going to the NFL Comets press past Grizzlies Buckeyes won title behind line play, Elliott and Jones High school A Grizz sweep Comets press past Grizzlies Raiders put on a show Graham sparks Grizzly rout Ashland drops MWL opener to Marist Southern Oregon University Heisman winner Mariota says he's going to the NFL Buckeyes won title behind line play, Elliott and Jones Sayre says character key to SOU's success Ducks grounded Raiders put on a show Opinion Latest Stories Kent Bush: Capital punishment raises questions Our View: A matter of survival Letters to the Editor, Jan. 16 Other Views: Get GMO rules right Editor's Notes: We were wrong Editorial Our View: A matter of survival Other Views: Get GMO rules right Our View: No benefit from LNG pipeline Our View: Putting slash to work Our view: Protect Ashland's crown Letters Letters to the Editor, Jan. 16 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 14 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 5 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 31 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 29 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Bikes, hikers/equestrians need separate watershed trails Guest Opinion: SOU biomass burner would be big mistake Guest Opinion: City hiring policy is fair, unbiased Another view: Cheney defends nation's journey into darkness Herb Rothschild Jr.: Fury impedes justice Revels Latest Stories Thanks for the Memories Theatre presents 'Cardenio' Best Bets: Jan. 15-22 A look at the life and vision of Martin Luther King Jr. 'Spotlight' highlights Orbison's life, music 'Selma' struggle remains relevant today Theater Insights into the gifts theater offers off the stage Theater is an act of co-creation ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Music Jeff Kloetzel at Belle Fiore The Farr Side: Top 10 album count-up for 2014 Visual Art Schneider winter exhibits on tap: 'Baker's Dozen' and 'New Works' First Friday kicks off a new year Movies Movie review: ‘Blackhat’ is a frustrating 404 error Movie review: ‘A Most Violent Year’ is a gritty look at oily dealings in ’80s New York Movie review: Clint Eastwood shines as director in ‘American Sniper’ 'Selma' struggle remains relevant today Interview: Bradley Cooper discusses working with Clint Eastwood on ‘American Sniper’ Food and Drink Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Community Blog: Structural Tension Ride & Drive: 2015 Cadillac Escalade Dr. Jeff Hersh: Heart test causes undue alarm Dr. Murray Feingold: How reliable is the medical information we read? Looking Up: Comet passes by the Pleiades Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business NEWS NOW Our View: A matter of survival ... Posters about missing teen will be distributed ... Brammo bought by Polaris ... Our View: A matter of survival ... Posters about missing teen will be distributed ... Brammo bought by Polaris ... QUILLS & QUEUES Alice Hardesty shares healing memoir Comment By Angela Decker DailyTidings.com By Angela Decker Posted Jan. 15, 2015 @ 6:25 pm By Angela Decker Posted Jan. 15, 2015 @ 6:25 pm » RELATED CONTENT • Community blog: Student Poetry Contest • Community blog: Ashland Sketches offers a wild mix of art • Community blog: Resolutions for writers » Social News When former Ashland City Councilor Alice Hardesty's husband, Jack, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the 1980s, they were told his case was “terminal” and that, at best, he had five years to live. Conventional methods failed to slow his decline, so the couple tried every alternative and complementary treatment they could. They traveled to Germany for experimental radiation therapy, and they worked with energy healers, spiritual healers, psychotherapists, nutritionists, and acupressurists. Jack tried vitamins, enzymes and even smoothies made with port wine and aloe vera. Something or everything worked, and Jack and Alice had 24 more years together before he ultimately died of a heart attack. While the story seems at first to be a triumphant tale of cancer survival, it unfolds more as a story of a troubled marriage and how the couple's united fight against cancer healed them in many ways.  Hardesty will read from and discuss her memoir, “An Uncommon Cancer Journey: The Cosmic Kick That Healed Our Lives,” at Bloomsbury Books from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22. She and her late husband lived in Ashland for many years, where they both served on the city council and where she wrote some of the book. When Jack Hardesty was first diagnosed with cancer, integrative medicine was not very popular, and it's a testament to their perseverance that they sought treatment outside the mainstream. She details their time at the Janker Klinik in Bonn, Germany, with fervent hope and a travel-writer's delight at the town. While most people would be hard-pressed to afford the travels and treatments they experienced, it is heartening to readers to know that alternatives exist and a terminal diagnosis is not always the end. In easy, conversational style, Hardesty writes candidly of troubles in her marriage that began almost from the start. Mixed expectations, hidden resentments, infidelity and alcoholism were problems the couple faced before Jack's diagnosis. They came together heroically to fight his cancer, and this brought them closer, but not all their problems went away. What is striking about the story is Hardesty's openness and her desire to show that one can be a caregiver to a spouse with cancer and still get angry with him, even be mean on occasion. She writes that she wants other caregivers to know that they are not alone, “They are not the only caregivers with socially unacceptable emotions.” In Hardesty's story, the cancer is both a growing evil in their lives and a catalyst for positive change. Hardesty intends her book to offer hope “that people with the worst kinds of cancers can be healed, even in non-traditional ways; and fate can sometime deal us a terrible hand which can actually turn out to be a miraculous blessing.” She writes that Jack referred to his illness as a “cosmic kick in the ass,” saying that in dealing with his cancer the couple was forced to face their own demons and open themselves to personal change and acceptance. It should be a pleasure to hear Hardesty read from her book. There's liveliness to her writing, a quiet humor that shines through, and a sincere desire to share not only her and husband's story, but to inspire hope in situations that seem nearly impossible to overcome. The reading is free and open to the public. Bloomsbury Books is at 290 E. Main Street in downtown Ashland. For more information, contact the bookstore at 541-488-0029 or [email protected]. The book will be available for purchase at the reading. Reach Ashland freelance writer Angela Decker at [email protected].   By Angela Decker DailyTidings.com By Angela Decker Posted Jan. 15, 2015 @ 6:25 pm » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. 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