Lisa's Story - Softcover

Tom Batiuk spent several years as a middle school art techer before creating the comic strip Funky Winkerbean in 1972. Originally a "gag-a-day" comic that portrayed life in high school, Funky has evolved into a mature series of real-life stories examining such social issues as teen dating abuse, teen pregnancy, teen suicide, violence in schools, the war in the Middle East, alcoholism, divorce, and cancer.

Batiuk, unsure about dealing with the serious subject of cancer on the funny pages, decided to go ahead with the story line. He approached the topic with the idea that mixing humor with serious and real themes heightens the reader's interest. Lisa and husband Les faced the same physical, psychological, and social issues as anyone else dealing with the disease.

Lisa's Story: The Other Shoe is part of the Literature & Medicine Series published by Kent State University Press. Additionally, it contains resource material on breast cancer, including early detection, informtion sources, support systems, and health care.

"I love the way this extremely serious and complex topic of breast cancer is made so easy to understand and absorb in a clever format. This thoughtful and humorous comic strip encourages routine self-examination and regular checkups, which will hopefully add up to early detection. I found Funky Winkerbean a unique way of discussing something that so many women and their families will face. Well done Funky Winkerbean."
--Olivia Newton-John, breast cancer survivor.

"`A time to be born and a time to die'--Lisa's Story will show you all that cancer and death can take away. But what it really shows us is that there's a lot of life and ways to live it between those two inevitable times."
--Chuck Behrens, hospice chaplain and author of The Candle Maker (2001)

"First and foremost, Lisa's Story is a wonderful story--insightful, poignant, warm, witty and touching. It is an accurate yet compassionate portrayal of someone living with cancer."
--Rimas Jasin, regional vice president for the American Cancer Society (Ohio)