Book excerpt: Karen Dunn and her family were living a normal life. They celebrated holidays, went to church, and did all of the things that happy families do. It all changed following the utterance of two simple words: invasive melanoma. With a poor prognosis, Karen and her family were forced to prepare for the worst case scenario. Invasive melanoma is not called "the deadly skin cancer" for nothing. The rosy prospective for Karen's life suddenly vanished into a dark horizon. They found themselves living with uncertainty because they no longer knew what their future would hold. Following a career as a mental health therapist, Karen was aware of the challenges that accompany such traumatic news. Serving as a pastoral counselor, Karen was also aware of the powerful combination of positive mental outlook, effective treatment decisions, and spiritual connectedness. As Karen engaged in treatment and prepared for the possibility of a negative outcome, she also learned how to hope, pray, worship, and continue to enjoy her family, even in the midst of her trials. There are many different situations that can result in trauma. Cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, accidents with permanent injuries, alienation from loved ones, financial ruin, loss of a loved one, mental illness, abuse, political angst, can all be devastating events. With the proper outlook you can make the most of the time that you have left, while you seek out the best treatment options available. Living with uncertainty while still enjoying life is an attainable goal! This book will familiarize you with some useful tools to regain hope, peace and joy despite uninvited life circumstances. You will learn to overcome the devastating effects of a painful event by employing a deliberate approach. It does not matter if you are the one in crisis, or if it is a friend, family member, coworker, or bible study partner: this book is for you! Karens professional accomplishments have earned her the honor of being listed in: Whos Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges Whos Who in Medicine and Healthcare Whos Who Among Human Services Professionals Whos Who in the South and Southwest Whos Who in America Whos Who in the World Karen maintains an encouraging blog on her website, CopingwithLossandGrief.com