Remission Quest: A Medical Sociologist Navigates Cancer (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781439926529)

As a medical sociologist, Virginia Adams O'Connell long studied the healthcare system and people navigating illness. Then, in 2019, she confronted her own reality of being diagnosed with primary bone lymphoma. "Since my diagnosis, I joined a club of current and past patients that I never wanted or intended to join," she writes with both candor and poignancy, adding, "But we can collectively work to make it the best club it can be."

In the course of diagnosis, treatment, and recovery, Adams O'Connell lived through theories she had researched and applied her sociological ideas to help make sense of her personal experiences. Remission Quest chronicles how the reality of living with cancer changed her perspective on what she had studied. Adams O'Connell found her knowledge illustrated and enriched her sociological analysis of our medical institutions and that her own illness narrative shone new light on her theories.

With moving prose, Remission Quest captures the emotions of having cancer and dealing with elaborate medical systems, learning how to be a "good patient" while also managing indescribable fear and fatigue, and confronting questions about the meaning of life. Adams O'Connell's experiences are both personal and universal. They provide inspiration, compassion, and understanding.

Author: Virginia Adams O'Connell
ISBN-10: 1439926522
ISBN-13: 9781439926529
Publisher: Temple University Press
Language: English
Published: 07/11/2025
Pages: 216
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.06lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.69d