When my wife and I learned that she had incurable cancer, we sat together at our kitchen table—holding hands, cherishing our love, and wondering how to make the most of the time that remained. We didn't know whether we had weeks, months or years. We just knew we had to summon our courage and take the first step.

Carrying the Tiger is my award-winning account of the years that followed: the surprising twists and turns of Lynn's treatment, the beauty and grace of her death beside me, and my struggle to climb out of shattering grief and accept new love. Adapted from journals that I wrote in real time to keep friends and family informed, listening to it is like looking over my shoulder as we learn to navigate treacherous waters, with no idea how our choices will play out.

Carrying the Tiger is both a love story and a guide for anyone touched by illness, loss, or grief.

If you're caring for someone with terminal illness, it illuminates the road ahead. If you're navigating the aftermath of loss, it offers the comfort of shared experience. And if you're simply wondering how to keep living when everything seems lost, it shows that even in the darkest places, light can break through.

It's for the caregiver who is powering through without realizing how much that costs. I was that person, until I broke. For the cancer patient who wants to keep living fully even as the world closes in around you. For the widow or widower who feels moments of joy returning and doesn't know whether they are allowed. For anyone who has wondered if they are doing this wrong.

You are not, and you do not have to carry your tiger alone.