Veterinary Cancer Surgeon Dr. Sarah Boston Diagnoses Her Own Cancer through Work with Her Four-Legged Patients. She Shares Her Story What Cancer Patients and Doctors Can Learn from Dogs in "Lucky Dog: How Being a Veterinarian Saved my Life"

Gainesville, Fla. - Dr. Sarah Boston has saved hundreds of animals from cancer. She had no idea those animals would one day do the same for her. In Lucky Dog: How Being a Veterinarian Saved my Life, Sarah takes readers on her journey as she alternates from veterinary cancer surgeon to thyroid cancer patient, in a story that can only be told from her unique perspective. From her hilarious recounting of her doctors’ appointments and surgeries, to the uplifting lessons from her own canine patients, this is no ordinary survivor’s story.

How did she finally convince her doctors that the mass in her neck was thyroid cancer? She diagnosed herself in her kitchen with her husband’s portable ultrasound machine. (He is a large animal veterinarian.) How did she battle the fear of her diagnosis? She watched her anxiety-free patients live each day to its fullest and decided that dogs might be on to something. 

Sarah’s humorous, often heartbreaking, story is told as she walks readers through the parallel stories of her canine patients, like Carney’s osteosarcoma, North’s nose carcinoma, and Kelly’s sad and ironic fate as she survives cancer, only to succumb to an accident. As she progresses through her own journey through the health care system in Canada and the United States, she follows her gut and teaches us that we need to advocate for ourselves and our family members (two and four- legged). 

Ultimately, the personal experience she shares, in a strong, riveting voice, shows how human cancer care could learn a lot from their canine counterparts, like the need for compassion and laughter, the importance of following your own intuition when getting medical treatment, and the pros and cons of dying with dignity. Sarah’s story is one that will make you laugh, then cry, then hug your best friend just a little bit tighter. 

Media Contact:  Diane White, Diane@DianeWhitePr.com - 981-770-3905 

About Dr. Sarah Boston

From age six, Sarah Boston knew she wanted to be a veterinarian. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Saskatchewan, and her Doctor of Veterinary Science from the University of Guelph, where she did a residency in small animal surgery. She completed a fellowship in surgical oncology at Colorado State University. Boston has practiced veterinary medicine in Canada, the U.S, and New Zealand and is the Past President of the Veterinary Society of Surgical Oncology. She is currently an Associate Professor of Surgical Oncology at the University of Florida. Before her move to Florida, Boston was a faculty member at the University of Guelph. She lives in Gainesville, Florida, with her husband, Steve, who is a large animal veterinarian, and their dog Rumble and cat Romeow. She is cancer-free and addicted to shoes. Lucky Dog is her first book.

Interview Topics

• Three lessons cancer patients can learn from their four-legged counterparts
• What Medical Doctors can learn from Veterinarians when treating cancer patients 
• Health care in the U.S. vs. health care in Canada
• Death with Dignity