You don't have to breathe through this alone.
Breathing Through Cancer is the guide Aurita Antao Menezes wishes she'd had on day one — practical, honest, and grounded in five years of caring for her husband, Jeevan, through stage 4 lung cancer.
"Science taught me how cancer behaves in a lab. Life taught me how it behaves in a family." Aurita Antao Menezes, Author's Note
A practical companion through every stage
Medical realities, explained simply
Clear explanations of tests, treatments, and decisions — without the overwhelm.
Tools for managing the logistics
How to organize legal, financial, and insurance details before crisis hits.
Guidance for caregivers & community
What genuinely helps, what often hurts, and how to build a support network that lightens the load.
Unflinching truths about the final chapter
What families can expect, how to prepare, and how to stay present through the hardest moments.
A path forward after loss
Gentle, grounded guidance for rebuilding life and supporting children through grief.
Not a medical textbook
It's the book families wish they had the moment cancer enters their lives.
Wherever you are in this storm, there's a page for you
Patients
If you've just received a diagnosis, this book offers clarity and steadiness when everything feels uncertain.
Caregivers
Practical tools, emotional guidance, and the reassurance that you're not alone.
Family, Friends & Community
If you want to help but don't know how, this book shows what truly makes a difference.
Professionals
Social workers, nurses, therapists, and patient navigators can better understand the lived experience of families in crisis.
Five years, one storm, a family finding its footing
A world no training had prepared her for
Jeevan is diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Aurita, a scientist who understood cancer at a molecular level, steps into relentless logistics, frightened children, and no nearby family.
Medical decisions, legal paperwork, daily survival
She learns to translate medical realities for her children, organize insurance and legal details, and make decisions under pressure.
Friends who wanted to help but didn't know how
Aurita discovers what genuinely helps — meals, rides, childcare — and how to let a community carry some of the weight.
Staying present through the hardest moments
Unflinching, honest guidance for what families can expect — and how to hold onto each other through it.
A path forward
Gentle, grounded steps for rebuilding routines and supporting Jaden and Alanis through grief.
Aurita Antao Menezes
Aurita Antao Menezes holds a PhD in microbiology and immunology. When her husband Jeevan was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, she became an advocate for families facing the same path. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her children, Jaden and Alanis.
"I wrote Breathing Through Cancer because I needed this book and couldn't find it. Science taught me how cancer behaves in a lab. Life taught me how it behaves in a family. If you're facing this storm, I hope these pages steady you, guide you, and remind you that you don't have to walk through it alone."
Ready to hold this book in your hands?
Available in hardcover, paperback, and e-book, wherever you like to read.
Join a community that understands
You're not the only one holding this. Connect with readers, caregivers, and families walking a similar path.