Book Review: The Funny Side of Lung Cancer by Thomas Palfy

The Funny Side of Lung Cancer
Thomas Palfy
CreateSpace (June 3, 2010)
9781453685853
40 pages

The Funny Side of Lung Cancer by Thomas Palfy is part memoir and part inspirational. In the days after lung cancer surgery, Mr. Palfy was keeping his visiting family and friends in high spirits with his unique sense of humor while he himself faced a long journey of treatment with no guarantee of a successful outcome. If laughter is the best medicine—then Mr. Palfy is well on his way to recovery.

The book begins with an introduction to the author, who was born in Hungary in 1936, and then moves forward to a hospital in Melbourne, Australia in early 2010. There, Mr. Palfy is in a bed shortly after surgery, struggling for breath, and wondering who might attend his funeral service. Instead of giving in to self pity, he is inspired by the idea to write a funny book. Having published several photography and travel adventure books, he is more than up to the task of this new project. The difference with this book is where it was planned and written—his travel books are set in the wilds of Australia—this one was jotted down while waiting for doctor and nurse visits and treatments.

In order to photograph wildlife, Mr. Palfy would first need to get beyond his fear of snakes. He did that by sheer determination and researching the animals. It is this type of willpower that Mr. Palfy advocates to those suffering from cancer as he writes, “We can overcome our fears and live happily ever after - we only need to make up our mind about it!” He advises that we shouldn’t worry needlessly and that we should prepare for, and then face, adversity head on.

Lung cancer has not been kind to Mr. Palfy’s family, as he lost two uncles and an aunt to the disease prior to his own diagnosis. Despite this deep understanding of the disease, Mr. Palfy, with his wife, family, and friends at his side, confronts the disease, treatments, and prognosis with courage and his sense of humour intact. We can all learn from his optimistic attitude and his ability to look at cancer as just another challenge in life to overcome. This is a small book with a large message—well written and sure to enlighten and brighten your life.
I highly recommend The Funny Side of Cancer to anyone facing cancer, whether they are the patient, family member, or friend. To Mr. Palfy, I would like to say good luck with that next book and many more.

Available at Amazon.com

About the Author

Thomas Palfy left his native Hungary following the crushing of the 1956 uprising by Soviet troops. He settled in Melbourne, Australia in 1957 and studied industrial chemistry there. Thomas worked mainly in the plastics industry until his retirement in 2002. He was a member of Melbourne Camera Club for over 20 years and attended several photography courses. Thomas has recorded a variety of subjects with his camera and has entered competitions and has won numerous awards. A keen nature lover, he and his wife, Susan have visited all major towns and National Parks of Australia over the years. They have taken many photos and their experiences were written up as letters to friends. The book Australian Adventures was based on these letters. Its companion book, Images of Australia contains about 100 photographs. Definitely Digital! is a photography guidebook with detailed description of the use of digital cameras. Across Australia from East to West is the most recent travel guide and photo-essay combined - a book packed with information and images for the tourist and armchair traveller alike. A collection of Palfy's best images was published under the title Captured with the Camera. Thomas is married, has a married daughter and three grandchildren.