Susan Keller
Author Interview - Susan Keller
Author of Blood Brother
Johnny’s Bone Marrow Could Save My Life, but He’d Vanished Thirty Years Earlier
I had Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL). Considered incurable, patients with MCL have a life expectancy of three years. At diagnosis I was Stage 4, and 98% of my bone marrow was a cancerous mush. A heart attack, or brain aneurism, was imminent.
Inpatient chemotherapy was full of surprises. I had to pee in a pink plastic “hat” to measure the number of dead cancer cells in my urine. I was as soggy as a sea cucumber from the fluids that dripped into me around the clock. I endured a psychotic drug reaction where I learned what “crawling out of one’s skin” means. And a near-fatal blood poisoning made me wonder about the shape, size, and sound of death. After an onslaught of chemo, I was emaciated, bald, and—against all odds—in remission.
But MCL has a nasty habit of coming right back; and to prevent a quick recurrence, I needed a bone marrow transplant. But neither of my brothers were a match, nor was there anyone in the international database of donors.
But I had a third brother. I hadn’t seen Johnny in 30 years, hadn’t spoken to him in 20. I had no idea where he was, if he was. At 18, Johnny had drifted into an illicit drug underground and was completely off the grid. Blood Brother delves into the preposterous events that led to finding Johnny and the great surprise that he was a match and was willing to donate his bone marrow.
The story concludes with the lessons learned from serious illness, reuniting with family, and the freedom—and even lightness—of forgiveness.
Author Interview - Susan Keller
Author I draw inspiration from: Nina Riggs
Author Interview - Susan Keller | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book: In bed
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Anne Lamott as herself in her memoir Bird by Bird
Author Interview - Susan Keller | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: I don't think I chose being an author. Being an author rather chose me.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: Paperback, e-book, and audiobook
The last book I read: A series of catastrophes and miracles by Mary Elizabeth Williams
Author Interview - Susan Keller | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: I use both.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Jeannette Walls as herself in her memoir, Glass Castle
Author Interview - Susan Keller | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: Attorney for the environment
Favorite decade in fashion history: 1960s. That was a big-bang departure from what had come just before it, i.e., June Cleaver!
Place I’d most like to travel: Norway, then New Zealand
My signature drink: Sauvignon Blanc
Favorite artist: Richard Diebenkorn
Number one on my bucket list: To stay healthy
Anything else you'd like to add: To improve my golf game (kind of kidding here). But there is so much more to say, I'll stick with this.
Find more from the author:
https://www.facebook.com/susan.keller.545/
@susanzkeller
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/122987410-susan-keller
Author Bio: Susan graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a degree in Public Health and Immunology. She then spent twenty-five years as a medical writer, garnering awards from the American Medical Writers Association.
During these years, she also wrote essays, short stories, and poems. Her poetry has taken prizes in national and regional contests.
Ironically, being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive lymphoma at 55 launched her writing career in earnest. During the life-changing journey that is cancer, she kept a journal. Later, she accessed over 1,200 pages of her medical record. Together, these allowed her to capture the specificity, fears, pain, and hope that defined her unforgettable year in treatment.
Her dual background in science and literature makes the voice in Blood Brother lyric as well as credible.
She lives in the Bay Area with her husband, Daniel. Blood Brother is her first book.
