It's good to know a miracle

By Jay Shotel, Sue Shotel

Subjects: Leukemia, Teachers, biography, Special education teachers, Caregivers, Biography, Leukemia, patients, biography, Patients, Family relationships, Cancer, patients, family relationships

Description: In August 2002 Dani Shotel was a healthy 26-year old young woman with an almost perfect life. She had gratifying work, as a special needs teacher in an elementary school in Arlington County, Virginia, many friends, a loving family, and a boyfriend, Scott Greene, whom she was soon to marry. Then just one month later, on September 11 -- an appropriately infamous date--Dani was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML). From that moment on, her world turned upside down and she and her family went on an unforgettable journey. They returned with many valuable life-lessons, and want to share them with all cancer victims, their families, their loved ones, and professionals involved in the wellness process. In this inspirational and informative book, Dani's parents, Jay and Sue Shotel, vividly convey the strength and courage their daughter displayed in her battle with AML, as they tell the story of the events that led to her recovery. Along the way they provide a wealth of information about leukemia, and tell engrossing stories about their family's journey to an unknown place, the roles each family member played to support Dani in her fight for life, the value of love and friendship, the anguish in the quest for answers, the power of positive thinking, the vital decisions a family must make as they proceed through the medical maze, and about the young German citizen, Tom--who donated the marrow that saved Dani's life and then flew in to Washington, D.C., to attend Dani and Scott's wedding in 2005! The vivid details in It's Good to Know a Miracle: Dani's Story, are made possible because Sue Shotel insisted that the family keep a log of everything that occurred during the period from September 11, 2002, until Dani's release from the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and return to Washington, D.C. in May of 2003. In telling their story, the authors hope that the level of detail provided in this book will assist families who face similar circumstances in dealing with the known, the unknown, and the decisions that need to be made along the way.