This book is about cancer.

And it isn't.

In 2016, Andy Nelson was diagnosed with stage IV cancer and given odds that made the future look frighteningly short.

What followed was not a straight path toward triumph. It was surgeries and chemotherapy. Recurrences and reprieves. Fear and determination. Anger and gratitude. Family, faith, music, friendship, laughter—and the persistent discovery that some of life's greatest gifts can exist right alongside its hardest moments.

Survivor's Gratitude: The Gifts of Cancer, Clarity, and Connection is Andy's honest, funny, vulnerable account of what happened when the life he had planned became the life he could never have planned.

But this isn't a prescription for how to "beat" cancer.

It's an invitation to all of us:

• Pay attention to the life you have.

• Hold close the people who matter.

• Listen for what is yours to do.

• And don't wait for a diagnosis to begin.

Survivor's Gratitude is for:

• Andy's fellow cancer survivors. As soon as someone is diagnosed, they're a survivor. From that point forward, a lasting solidarity takes hold and endures.

• Medical providers and caregivers, for their exquisite and tender help. May they feel humanity and gratitude back from survivors, and perhaps find words in this book to give to the next person diagnosed, or the loved one in their care.

• Anyone who's ever experienced an unplanned unfolding in their life. May they keep surviving what life throws at them, become more alive and grateful to the life they have now, and help one another do the same.

Andy Nelson is a dad, husband, executive coach, leadership developer, speaker, musician, and former Fortune 5 leader who also happens to be a ten-year, multi-recurrence stage IV cancer survivor. Survivor's Gratitude: The Gifts of Cancer, Clarity, and Connection is his first book. He plans to stick around to do more. With all of the above.

Learn more at www.SurvivorsGratitude.com.

Father Gregory Boyle, a Jesuit priest, is the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Fr. Boyle served as pastor of Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights from 1986 to 1992. Dolores Mission was the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles and had the highest concentration of gang activity in the city.

Fr. Boyle is the author of the 2010 New York Times bestseller "Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion." He followed this with "Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship" in 2017 and "The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness" in 2021. Recently, he released "Forgive Everyone Everything," an anthology of writings paired with artwork by Fabian Debora. His newest book, "Cherished Belonging: The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times," was published in 2024.

He has received the California Peace Prize and has been inducted into the California Hall of Fame. In 2014, President Obama named Fr. Boyle a Champion of Change. He received the University of Notre Dame's 2017 Laetare Medal, the oldest honor given to American Catholics. Homeboy Industries was the recipient of the 2020 Hilton Humanitarian Prize, validating 32 years of Fr. Boyle's vision and work by the organization for over three decades. Most recently, he was one of the recipients of the 2024 Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor.

"This book will spark purpose in anyone seeking to live a meaningful life." — Richard Leider, International bestselling author, The Power of Purpose, Repacking Your Bags

"Andy Nelson catapults us from where we might be stuck and lands us in a place where we can be endlessly thankful." — Gregory Boyle, New York Times bestselling author of Tattoos on the Heart

"Whether you are living with cancer, loving someone who is, or caring for patients with cancer, you will be richer for spending time with Andy in these pages. You may shed a few tears but you will also come away filled with renewed joy and profound gratitude for the experience." — Dr. James Leenstra, MD at Mayo Clinic

"With humor, vulnerability, and a deep honesty about his cancer journey, Andy shows us how to stay connected to what matters most, even in the darkest moments. This is a story that will move you, ground you, and ultimately remind you of the beauty and power of being human." — Jamie Shapiro, PhD, CEO Coach & Organizational Psychologist

"Andy Nelson writes with honesty and humor about what it actually means to survive cancer—not as a victory over death, but as a daily choice to live fully, love deeply, and find gratitude in the midst of real suffering. This book will change how you think about resilience, purpose, and what it means to thrive." — Henry Emmons, MD, Author of The Chemistry of Joy and The Chemistry of Calm

"Through a decade of living with Stage IV cancer, Andy continues to choose life—again and again and again—with courage, curiosity, gratitude, and heart. Joy and sorrow belong together, life emerges from loss, and love remains even in the face of great uncertainty. To get to a point where you actually choose the life you have and choose to love the ones you have been gifted to love, as Andy has: what else is there?" — Karen Carlsen, MA, MSW, Therapist and Enneagram Expert

"In Survivor's Gratitude, Andy Nelson models a generative life of meaning and purpose lived with gratitude, courage, and a steadfast commitment to what matters most. Andy demonstrates how one can thrive not only with cancer—but, in part, because of it. What can happen to anyone can happen to anyone, and since an obstacle that needs to be overcome will show up in one form or another to everyone, do yourself a favor and study this remarkable work. " — Andrew McGinn, MD

"Andy Nelson has written an absolutely luminous book that clearly shows the path to a meaningful life. Filled with soul and smarts, Survivor's Gratitude showcases the mindset, strategies, and connections that can act as lifelines through any difficulty. I'll be thinking about my own TLPs and implementing them immediately. What's a TLP? Read it to find out!" — Jacque Fletcher Johnson, CEO Heartwood Leadership Institute & Author of Dear Body, Love Me

"Survivor's Gratitude is a rare gem - like sitting next to a wise, open-hearted friend who tells the truth about something raw and vulnerable, and somehow still makes you belly laugh and feel seen. This book meets you in the uncertainties of your own story, invites you to consider the deeper gifts available, and ultimately fires you up to LIVE." — Lynn O'Brien, Speaker, Singer, Songwriter

"For most of us, the word cancer sends shudders of dread down our spines. In his brilliant book, Andy Nelson illuminates the power of purpose to sustain and elevate our lives, especially in the hardest times. From its very first lines, Andy's story and writing style drew me in. It is beautifully told in an accessible way--a powerful testament to the human spirit and living with purpose." — Diane Bailey-Boulet, Author of Poverty to Possibility: Snapshots from a Yorkshire Boyhood