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My name is Rajiv Samant and I am publishing a book to be released in early 2016 titled:
“Smiles from the Clinic: A humorous look at cancer”

I would be interested in being on your show to talk about my book if you think it will be of interest to your audience:)

The summary of the book:

This is a cartoon book meant for cancer patients, their friends and families, health care professionals and anyone else who has been touched by cancer. It shows that humor is all around us, even with a diagnosis of cancer.

We use humor and smiles to deal with stress in our daily lives, and I believe that these approaches (where appropriate) should be used when dealing with cancer patients as well. All the stories shown in the book are based on my real life experiences…..(Dr.) Rajiv Samant

Having worked in the cancer business for over 25 years as well as being interested in education and communication, I realize that cancer is still often viewed by many as all doom and gloom. People think that my job must be very serious, sad and depressing. However, there is much more humour and positivity when dealing with cancer patients than you might think. In fact, since cancer will affect almost half of all North Americans, it might be beneficial to deal with it in a positive way!

This being said, I’ve decided to show people that working with cancer patients can be filled with laughter and smiles. This is why my book is called “Smiles from the Clinic” because I want to share with you the true, funny stories and experiences that I have witnessed in my day-to-day work. I believe the book will resonate with and appeal to those affected by cancer as well as with their friends, families and health care providers – in other words nearly everyone who’s been touched by cancer in some way.

Adding to the uniqueness of the subject matter (I haven’t found a similarly written humorous medical piece by a physician yet), are the cartoon illustrations that will accompany some of the stories. FYI, I did not draw the cartoons for this book. I had help from a couple of wonderful illustrators. What is the outcome? A relatively quick read and perspective from a health care provider who believes in the importance of using humour to deal with illness.

My hope is that the book will serve its purpose in demonstrating that we need to incorporate smiles, humor and positivity when caring for and dealing with individuals affected by cancer. This should apply to all of us whether we are patients, health care professionals or family and friends.

Rajiv Samant – Short Bio

Rajiv was born in India, came to Canada as a young child and grew up in various parts of the country. He spent most of his youth in Nova Scotia. Gentle prodding from his loving (and typically conventional) Indian immigrant parents not surprisingly led him to enter in medical school at Dalhousie University in Halifax in 1984. Having completed medical school in 1988, Rajiv started training as a radiation oncologist in 1989. He has been a cancer specialist for over 22 years and worked at several cancer centers across the country. At present, he lives with his children in Ottawa where he practices as a Radiation Oncologist. He continues to see patients at The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, and teaches in the Faculty of Medicine at the University in Ottawa (Canada). As a teacher, educator and researcher interested in improving how we deal and communicate with patients and their families, Rajiv believes patients need to be treated on an individual basis with dignity, respect and kindness as well as with a good dose of humour where circumstances allow for levity to enter a too often serious world

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