Hope Unleashed: Coping with Cancer with Courage & Love: The True Story of an Animal Rescue Caregiver

By June Summers (Van Velzer Press, December 2024)

Via: Author request

Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir

Pages: 179

We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Please note that we won’t be rating this book. Assigning a numerical rating to a memoir just doesn’t feel right.

If courage could shine through ink, these pages would glow.

Kimber: Mom and I? We don’t say the above about too many books. But June Summers’ Hope Unleashed isn’t just any book. Hauntingly beautiful and searingly elegiac, Hope Unleashed is based on the life of a real woman, Wendy, as told by her mother. It also has dogs. About 40+. And about 20 cats (Nobody’s perfect). And how Wendy’s limitless love for animals and her passion for saving lives became her own lifeline as she battled an aggressive form of cancer.

Mom says you might want to grab a box of tissue before diving into this one. Or maybe a whole pallet. I’ll let Mom tell ya more. As soon as I re-up her tissue supply. Take it away, Mom:

The Basics

From a young age, Wendy was drawn to the companionship and comfort of animals, a passion that grew into a life dedicated to rescuing the abandoned and the forgotten. Her home became a sanctuary, a place where countless animals found love, care and a second chance at life. But just as Wendy was giving everything to those who needed her, she faced a battle of her own – a diagnosis that challenged her courage and resolve.

Told by Wendy’s mother, this is not just a story of struggle; it’s a story of hope, resilience and the healing power of love. Hope Unleashed offers readers a deeply personal glimpse into Wendy’s life as she navigated the darkest moments we humans can imagine, and she did it with unwavering strength and compassion, not just for herself but for every life she touched. For anyone facing the uncertainty of illness, or those standing by a loved one’s side, Wendy’s story is a testament to the power of love, courage, and the bond between humans and humans and their animals.

This story is told in three parts:

• Part 1 is Growing Up Years: Girl to Guardian of Animals
• Part 2 is Animal & Life Stories.
• Part 3: The C Word: Life Shaken Upside Down

Also included are an Epilogue, About the Author, List of Wendy’s Dogs, What Happened to Each Dog, and a Photo Gallery.

Some readers may find parts 1 and 2 a bit slow going. Be patient. The author is building backstory and filling in some important details and context. (Kimber: So kindly keep your shirt on, Cookie.) Once we hit part 3, the narrative takes off like Secretariat rounding the final turn at the Belmont Stakes.

Connections

There’s a lot with which alert readers can connect in these pages. Like how sometimes the people you think will be the most kind and compassionate in the face of adversity or difficulty aren’t. (Been there. Done that.) How others come through. Sometimes when you least expect it. Maybe especially when you least expect it. How offering to take on simple tasks like mowing the lawn, washing the dishes or dropping off a home-cooked meal can make a huge difference to cancer patients and their caregivers. It also lets them know they’re not alone.

“It was the love she held for those discarded animals that kept her motivated to not give up.”

A Balancing Act

Hope Unleashed is a delicate balancing act. It’s part animal rescue, part cancer patient. It’s quite a tightrope. But Summers pulls it off. Page after absorbing page.

Along the way we encounter love and loss. Triumph and tragedy. Humor and heartache. (Kimmi: See? Told ya it’s a balancing act.) There’s also hope. Resilience. Tenacity. Courage in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds. How doctors aren’t omniscient. And sometimes they’re just plain wrong. Frustrations with E.R. “care.” (Been there. Done that, too. Don’t get me started!) The number of service people who came to the house and refused to enter due to the many barking dogs.

Like, 40+ dogs. In one house.

Yea, verily. Just reading about June and Wendy’s daily cleaning routine made us want to lie down and take a nap. Why so many dogs living inside a house weren’t house-trained is puzzling. Can you imagine the Poop Patrol?  But the daily cleaning process was organized and effective.

And food + vet bills for 40+ dogs and 20+ cats??!! Kimber: Mom! Mom! Wake up! I got the smelling salts right here!

But somehow the author and Wendy pulled it off. Year after year. Rescuing zillions of animals and giving them a loving home.

“You can never tell someone you love just how much you do love them. You can never say it too often.”

The author explains that Hope Unleashed started out “as a(n) homage to the dogs we rescued. It later turned into this mix of stories and a love story to other cancer-affected families.”

“As her cancer progressed, each night when I finished with the animals, I went to her bedroom. She usually wasn’t asleep. We held hands and prayed the Lord’s Prayer together. I then asked God for help in finding a way to handle caring for all our dogs. I asked that Wendy’s pain and suffering would subside, and I asked for a miracle to rid her of the cancer. Eventually, my prayers were all answered, but none of them in the way I wanted or hoped.”

Heartwarming

Heartwarming and heartfelt, Hope Unleashed moved one of us to tears in places. That box of tissue thing. (Kimmi: Mom lost both parents to cancer.)

“Another day, Wendy’s oncologist admitted to me that he thought her concern and care for animals helped her survive the cancer as long as she did. It gave her a reason to fight.”

The ending could wring tears from a turnip.

Mom: Alright, Kimmi. Who you callin’ a turnip?

The Kimster: How ‘bout Lover of All Things Inspirational, Doggish, Drenched in Hope and Banana Splits with Extra Hot Fudge Sauce?

Mom: Now we’re talkin;’.

Packs a Punch

Speaking of talkin’ – sort of – Hope Unleashed isn’t for the faint-hearted. Powerful and poignant, it packs a punch. It’s raw and it’s real. Intense. So you may want to sit down. Preferably with your favorite furry face. All settled? Great. Then get ready for a challenging, heartbreaking, engaging, and inspiring read.

We read it cover-to-cover in one day.

Wait. Are those birds singing? (You’ll get that if you read the book. Now would be good.)