Page 10 - Waterways - August '20

Page 10, Waterways
Book Review

Through The Lens Of Love: manuscript and offer my comments. I had very in love as they had ever been.
few to suggest because I found this memoir
Then, on May 20, 2012 their lives changed
Facing Terminal Illness of her final two years of life with her husband forever with that diagnosis – a tragic reminder
so extraordinarily touching … and, equally that Dick’s brother, Sam, had died of the very
By Nils A. Shapiro important, recognized immediately how same glioblastoma at the age of 65.
The opening sentence of valuable it would be as a guide to anyone faced Through the Lens of Love is Robin’s memoir
this book is unforgettable: with such a traumatic situation. of how this deeply committed couple decided
“These were the best two Since I first learned of this book, the arrival to face so impossible a life challenge. While
years of my life,” Dick said to of the coronavirus and its threat of infection and the subject matter may lead some to assume
me. rapid deaths of victims in hospitals alone and this to be a depressing book, it is very much
What makes these without family for comfort has caused many to the opposite. It will be, instead, an inspiring and
words so remarkable – and forget that there are still those who must deal uplifting experience for three different kinds of
stunningly poignant – is that with the other medical issues that were with us readers.
they were spoken to the author long before the pandemic. First, more than a “love story,” it is a story
by her physician husband, Dr. This is a guide for those who must prepare of love between two souls – a love so full, so
Richard Gross, shortly before for the worst ... as well as an inspiring story of complete, so deep that it also expressed itself
he died ... and the years he was referring to were those they had how one couple’s loving marriage conquered fear itself. as friendship, where such common interests as photography and
shared after he had been diagnosed as having glioblastoma, an Dick (as he was known to family and friends) had turned 64 gardens were shared and enjoyed as passions.
incurable form of brain cancer that often means only months to in April of 2012, and he and Robin had then celebrated their 40th Second, because Robin was prescient enough to have kept
live! He survived two years, almost to the day. anniversary with a trip to Monet’s Garden in Giverny, France so many of the letters, cards and other documents both medical
This is the disease that was described by our “Medical and the Keukenhof Garden in Holland as part of a special tour and personal that filled her crowded days and nights during his
Matters” columnist in last month’s issue of Boca Club News, where they indulged their mutual passions for photography and final years. She also records here so many of the treatments,
Dr. Richard Nagler, as “one of the most lethal of all cancers ... gardens. Back home in Lakeville, Massachusetts, the pride of travels and helpful ideas that enabled her to deal with Dick’s
with a two-year survival rate of less than 25 percent.” their beautiful home were the magnificent gardens they had health issues – and at the same time extend his life and give
The book first came to my attention more than a year ago designed and nurtured, filled with butterflies, hummingbirds, him comfort. This book is an excellent guide for anyone who
when its author, Robin Gross – who, through mutual friends, frogs, a fish pond and even two pet peacocks at one point. must serve as a caregiver for a loved one with a terminal illness,
knew of my background as the editor of more than two dozen With their four grown children – three daughters and a son – including the importance of a wonderful support system. In her
published books – asked me, as a courtesy, to examine her all now on their own, and Dick only a year away from thinking case, “LotsaHelpingHands,” a network of volunteers comprised
about retiring from his private medical practice, he and Robin
were looking forward to a second honeymoon lifestyle, as much Book Review on page 11

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Give Up Wine To

Lose Weight?

By Laura Berrio,
Freelance Writer/
Blogger
Whenever I decide to
go on a diet, I immediately
miss chocolate and wine Expires 8/31/20.
before I start. With the
popular low carb/low State Licensed & Insured
sugar diets, is there a way Serving Palm Beach County CPC # 1457468 • LPG#30099
to include wine and not be
cheating? Yes!
The key is to pick
dry wines that are the
lowest in both carbs and
sugar. Some wineries
produce low sugar wines
with less than 1 gram
of sugar. Sounds like
ordering a diet soda …
when I really want the
ice cream sundae.
There is hope. Fit
Vine and Dry Farms
Wines are virtually void
of sugar in a 5-ounce
serving. (No you can’t
drink the whole bottle.)
Other good choices low in sugar and carbs are:
• Sauvignon Blanc 3 g carbs per serving
• Merlot 3.7 g carbs per serving
• Champagne 2 g carbs per serving
• Pinot Noir 3.4 g per serving
• Pinot Grigio 3 g per serving
When shopping, avoid dessert wines because, well
… they are “dessert” and with dessert comes sugar and
carbs. Port and ice wine, along with other wines labeled
dolce, demi-sec and semi-sec, are in the dessert family
and – along with it – are also higher in sugar and carbs.
Hope is on the label. When it comes to dry wines, look
for descriptions such as brut, dry or extra dry to tip you
off about lower sugar and carb choices.
On our quest to a thinner and healthier lifestyle …
fellow wine enthusiasts, we can keep wine on the menu!
Just be specific in your choice!
~Cheers.
~Keep the conversation going and the wine flowing.