My name is Jake Althaus, and for the most part, I seem to have it all. A loving partner, a devoted dog, a promising future in nursing school. The only problem is: I’ve been plagued with persistent headaches, and though I’m loathe to admit that anything is wrong, a routine checkup with my general practitioner, and the subsequent MRI that follows, delivers a devastating truth.

I have brain cancer.

It isn’t terminal, but that doesn’t change the dread that festers in my heart, in my spirit, in my brain. Surgery, followed by chemotherapy, is the only hope of a successful recovery. The only problem is: I’m scared out of my mind about what will happen next. I’ll lose my hair. My body. Possibly my sanity.

My life is only just beginning.

And now I fear it may possibly end.