By Jan Gardner Globe Correspondent
September 12, 2015
Boston Globe
Heroic WWI nurse gets her due
Ten years ago East Falmouth resident Terri Arthur visited England to research the life of fellow nurse Edith Cavell, who was executed by the Germans during World War I. On that trip, Arthur wandered into a ceremony in Cavell’s hometown commemorating the nurse’s wartime heroics.
Cavell, who operated a nursing school and hospital in German-occupied Belgium, had helped smuggle at least 200 Allied soldiers into the Netherlands so they would be safe from the Germans. In August 1915, she and some of her associates were arrested by German authorities. Convicted on charges of treason, she was executed by a firing squad.
In addition to officially receiving her first place award from the Midwest Publishers Association for her novel 
Ansley M. Dauenhauer’s first novel, “Cancer Slam” is a must-read for anyone involved with a breast cancer diagnosis. As a teenager, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and I had no idea what that meant for me and my family. “Cancer Slam” follow the Bennett Family through the initial diagnosis and mastectomy, to the chemotherapy treatments and subsequent hair loss. Through their journey, everyone stays extremely positive and open with one another. As a kid or young adult, it can be scary to think your whole life is going to change, especially when you are not even sure why. When Liz Bennett is diagnosed with breast cancer, she explains in the perfect way exactly what is going on in her body and how the rest of the family will be affected. Dauenhauer creates characters that are not only relatable, but who you root for and sympathize with. As a kid who has a sick parent, it’s easy to feel guilty for longing for normalcy. Hannah’s range of emotion, from anger to scared to sad to an adult-like acceptance, keep the story true to life. I laughed. I cried. But most of all I stayed positive because I think that’s what the Bennett Family would have wanted. I loved this book and believe it is an important read for anyone, not just young adults,dealing with a cancer diagnosis.
