I JUST TURNED TWO

A debut memoirist reexamines his life following a cancer diagnosis.

“I remember the day I was born,” writes Weitenhagen in the book’s opening lines; despite the fact that he was over 60 years old at the time, he dates his “second birth” to March 13, 2019. After being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, the author says that was given a second chance at life on that date by a stranger, hundreds of miles away, who decided to donate stem cells on a whim following a nursing school class. This isn’t the only serendipitous occurrence he highlights; the book’s initial chapters explore another low point of the author’s life—a painful divorce following a 30-year marriage—which was followed by an equally unexpected, life-changing event: meeting his second wife, Patsy. In a sincere, honest, and occasionally witty style, he effectively describes the peculiarities of dating as an older adult. Although his struggle with cancer later takes center stage, Weitenhagen takes time to revel in his account of his courtship of Patsy and their subsequent international travels together; he also discusses the couple’s fears following her own health scare. In addition, the book offers readers a glimpse into the commonalities and differences between Eastern and Western healthcare, from Chinese hospitals to the Mayo Clinic. A devout Christian, the author also references his belief in Jesus, God’s love, and the power of prayer throughout, although the work never proselytizes; at one point, it features a Jewish prayer by a hospital chaplain in one of the work’s more poignant scenes. Even nonreligious readers will find value in the book’s underlying message that life “becomes easier and peaceful” when one embraces love: “Death is not the relevant part of our existence,” he reminds readers, “Living is.” At fewer than 75 pages in length, this is an accessible work that balances its relentless positivity and belief in divine providence with a realistic understanding that pain—both in terms of strained relationships and physical illness—is an inevitable part of living.

An earnest and hopeful exploration of a challenging life.