Coming June 2025
The no-fear guide to living well with serious illness
by Gaby Eirew MBE & Dr. Pippa Hawley FRCPC (Palliative Medicine)
Victory Lap is a practical and understanding no-fear how-to guide for people who have life-threatening illness such as cancer or organ failure, as well as for their supporters and loved ones.
Palliative care physician Dr. Pippa Hawley and experienced counsellor and educator Gaby Eirew MBE know what you are going through, and they are here to help you through everything from telling the children to putting your affairs in order.
With practical, seasoned advice and touching real-life stories, they cover everything you need to know about living with life-threatening illness. Did you know that a book on this topic can be comforting, practical, and uplifting? This is that book!
Whatever your state of health, it is always possible to make the most of your life and enjoy your victory lap, and this book is exactly what you need to do just that.
All you have to do is open this book.
Thank You For This Book
A thoughtful and thought-provoking practical roadmap to help and support not only the person who is dying but those who love and are caring for that person. There were lots of things we were able to do to make the most of our time together, all suggested by this wonderful resource.
★★★★★
Liz Smith, Vancouver CA
Should Be Required Reading For Everybody!
The practical and honest way that the advice in this book is presented would have made our loved one’s end of life and the continuing lives of those of us surviving so much more bearable if we’d been able to learn from it at that time. We cannot recommend it highly enough.
★★★★★
M and L Charlesworth, Bournemouth UK
Recommended To My Patients
Beautifully put and tremendously approachable; I am so glad someone has written such an approachable book that gently and tenderly discusses this critically important topic. I found the book uplifting despite the seriousness of the subject and plan to recommend it to many patients.
★★★★★
– Dr. J.F. MD, Palliative Psych, NY USA
Sometimes, the very most alive and connected we can be is at the end of life, when we can focus on love, honesty, humor, and connection… and set all the clutter in our life aside. Whatever your state of health, it is always possible to live your life and enjoy your victory lap, and this book sets out to help you do that.
Index of Topics:
01
When You Get Bad News
Taking the fear out of scary medical words and addressing your own personal health journey.
02
How Long Do I Have?
Your prognosis is not a prediction, but a tool to help you make decisions. What is the best case scenario? What is the worst?
03
What Helps And What Doesn’t?
How to work with your medical team to decide what complementary or alternative therapies might be worth trying.
04
How Can I Face the Unknown?
Why we fear uncertainty more than death itself, and how to tackle our illusions of immortality. You don’t need to be spiritual or religious to be unafraid.
05
How Do I Tell Them?
Counsellor Gaby advises you on breaking the news to your family, your children, and everyone else… as well as coping with their possible responses.
06
Putting Yourself In Charge
Advance care planning, decision-making, and how to ensure that your wishes are respected in the best and worst case scenarios.
07
What About My Pets?
Ensuring that your furry friends will be cared for in the short term and the long term.
08
Is My Sex Life Over?
Maintaining intimacy despite some not-so-sexy symptoms, physical challenges, and medical treatments.
09
Will I Be Able To Travel?
Practical advice on travelling when you have serious medical needs. It’s all in the planning!
10
Celebrate Your Life
Why should your friends and family wait until after you are gone to show their love for you? How to plan a living wake or a family-and-friends reunion when you are ill.
11
The Finance Question
Facing medical costs, what your might be facing in the future, the importance of insurance, and tips on how to get the things you need on any budget.
12
Home, Hospital, or Hospice?
Gaby and Dr. Pippa take you through the pros and cons of living and dying in hospital, at home, or at a hospice so you can make decisions about where and when.
13
Setting Up Your Home
Practical advice on how to set up your home so you can stay there as long as you wish to, while ensuring you will be comfortable and cared for.
14
Caring For Your Carer
People care for you because they love you. You can offer a lot in return by helping them to pace themselves, and Gaby has tips on how to do it.
15
Should I Get A Doula?
Doulas can help with practical concerns as well as support you emotionally and spiritually. Here you will find advice on whether and how to get a doula.
16
Leaving a Legacy
Gaby tells you what your loved ones will wish they had heard or received from you, and how you can build a legacy that will be cherished.
17
Protecting Your Online Assets
Nowadays we have so many accounts and files locked away by password or hidden online. Will the right people have access to them if something happens to you?
18
Medically Assisted Dying
Dr. Pippa takes you through a judgement-free discussion of the differences between suicide, euthanasia, and medically assisted dying and the ramifications of each.
19
How to Care For The Very Ill
In this chapter for carers, Dr. Pippa explains what to expect and how to care for people who are nearing the end of life.
20
What Will Happen to My Body?
Practical considerations and options for deciding what will happen to your body after you have left it.
21
Appendix
This list of some helpful organizations, websites, software and charities will help guide the reader to finding the help they didn’t even know was available.
