Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller
Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

Women of Faith: Kate Bowler on living with chronic cancer in a fix-it-quick culture

Kate Bowler
Kate Bowler is a professor, author, and self-proclaimed “incurable optimist.”
Courtesy of Rebecca Ames Photography

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Three years ago, Kate Bowler was handed the diagnosis that changed everything: stage 4 colon cancer. With a grim prognosis, she immediately started treatment and simultaneously wrote the memoir “Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved,” which went on to become a New York Times bestseller.

She still has cancer. But she’s still here, to the surprise of even herself. Now she lives from cancer scan to cancer scan, a living reminder that mortality stalks us all. She recently wrote about that juxtaposition in The Washington Post:

Our society finds it especially difficult to talk about anything chronic — meaning, any kind of pain, emotional or physical, that abides and lives with us constantly. The sustaining myth of the American Dream rests on a hearty can-do spirit, but not all problems can be overcome. So often, we are defined by the things we live with rather than the things we conquer. Any persistent suffering requires being afraid — but we hang our fears in the balance of our great loves and act, each day, as though love will outweigh them all.

Life is chronic. Fear will always be present. I can only make those brave, soft choices to find my way forward when there is no way back.

On Wednesday, host Kerri Miller spoke with Kate about chronic cancer and the beautiful precarity of life. It’s the latest conversation in our Women of Faith series,. You can also find another discussion between Kerri and Kate here.

Guest:

  • Kate Bowler, professor at Duke University’s Divinity School and author of the book “Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved”

To listen to the full conversation from today you can use the audio player above.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Kerri Miller podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts , Spotify or RSS