About the Author, Michele Wheeler

To know michele…

Michele Wheeler was a caring mother with twin daughters she adored. She was an easy friend that loved to smile and laugh. She was a devoted wife. She was a universally respected co-worker that never shied away from hard work, and knew how to have fun doing it. She was a scientist. She was also someone who found herself in the devastating position of being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 37. After surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation she lived cancer-free for four years. Cancer resurfaced, and she battled it fiercely for nearly five more years, before dying peacefully at home on June 23, 2020. During her last years, Michele fought to find her way past debilitating fear and rage to stay present, and not let cancer be what defined her. Though difficult, she succeeded. She lived on her own terms, and left us with a moving memoir full of stories and wisdom, laughs and tears, hope and love. An avid writer, her work has also been featured in SurvivorNet, Share Care Cancer Support and on her blog, A Crack in the Wall, which was selected as one of Healthline.com's 2020 Blog of the Year awards.