The Breaking of the Stone: A Phenomenological Study of One Woman's Journey with Life-threatening Illness

Ian W. Toal is a nurse in Barrie, Ontario.

This book is a phenomenological study of the experience of cancer.
Simply put, phenomenology “is the reflective study of lived
experience”; its aim “is to gain a deeper understanding of the
nature or meaning of the world of our everyday life.”

As a phenomenological study, The Breaking of the Stone focuses on the
emotional (as opposed to the medical) aspects of cancer and its
treatment. While the emotions of waiting for a diagnosis are expressed
in most personal stories about cancer, this book goes on to explore how
waiting affects the mind/body relationship, as well as how the passage
from wellness to illness affects that same relationship. The author also
discusses the different types of waiting—desperate, uncertain, and
hopeful—that precede a cancer diagnosis.

Quotations are liberally used but not always blended into the text,
which gives the book a disjointed feel. Nevertheless, Ferguson has
produced a well-written study that can be read by anyone and that should
be required reading for those in the helping professions.