Pump Up Your Book Chats with Cancer Survivor Tom Laresca

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Tom Laresca lives in New York with his wife and three children. Currently working as a foreign stock trader, he attended college at St. John’s University. Laresca enjoys playing sports and weightlifting.

I Want to Help: My Story About Cancer, Depression and God is his first book.

You can visit his website at http://iwanttohelp1225.com.

ABOUT I WANT TO HELP: MY STORY ABOUT CANCER, DEPRESSION AND GOD

Tom Laresca lived an average life in a quiet American town: a good job as a stock trader, a wife, a family, a beautiful home. Then in 2001, his life changed.

While living in Boca Raton, Florida, Laresca explains, “I was wrongly arrested and abused by the police. I had been an athlete in high school and college, and had never been in trouble with the law before or since in my professional career as a stock trader. I was put into intensive care, due mainly to being maced for thirty minutes while being pinned down, handcuffed and hogtied. These events all happened in front of my own home in an exclusive gated community.”

Following the assault, Laresca says his main focus was to get the charges against him dropped. “For years, I spent time and money on lawyers to make this happen. The police wanted me to sign a pre-trial intervention (PTI) document, which would make the charges go away but with me assuming part of the guilt. But I didn’t want to do that; I wanted them to admit what they did. I spent years fighting the PTI. Even though the charges finally went away, I never found out what happened, and the police were never questioned or investigated. This all took lots of time and money, and I had to miss work.”

During this period, Laresca was diagnosed with cancer in three parts of his body and faced the grim possibility that he might only have three months to live. After his treatment and recovery, he then fought a battle with depression.

“Something told me to write about it.” he says. “I wrote the book in one night, sent it out to publishers, and went with the first publisher who answered.”

The book, I WANT TO HELP: MY STORY ABOUT CANCER, DEPRESSION, AND GOD, is a tiny book which, as Laresca says, “is written with the sole purpose of helping others overcome any struggles they may be going through. Not that everyone will go through something as severe as I did, but I believe that most people at some time are struggling with something.”

“The book begins with me learning I had been diagnosed with cancer in three parts of my body. I recount what it felt like to receive the news from my doctor, coupled with the grim possibility that I may have three months to live. I talk about my hospital stay, my fight to stay healthy, both physically and mentally, but most of all spiritually.

“Next, I tell of going through chemotherapy treatments and on to recovery, only to be brought down by what I can only say was crippling depression. I go on to thank God for getting me through all this. Because the truth is that God brought me through it all, and He is waiting to help you with anything you are going through.”

Laresca remembers that as a child, he read Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking. “There were two things that stuck with me: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,’ and ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’ Those helped me through everything, and I use this [philosophy] every day.”

At twenty pages, I WANT TO HELP: MY STORY ABOUT CANCER, DEPRESSION, AND GOD is so short, Laresca says, because he worked long hours, had three kids, and not a lot of time. Still, he adds, people who have read it tell him that it’s helped them in some way, and that he’s heard that grownups have given the book to their children.

These days, Tom Laresca is much more relaxed, especially now that he’s written the book. “If reading it can help just one person,” he says, “I’ll be happy.”

INTERVIEW:

Q: Thank you for this interview, Tom. Can you tell us why you wrote your book, I Want to Help?

I wrote this book with the sole purpose to help others who may be struggling in any area of their lives.

Q: What was the experience like writing I Want to Help? Was it healing for you?

Writing I Want to Help was very satisfying to me knowing it would one day help others. It was also a bit unsettling because it is tough to bring up that night with the police due the reminder of the pain and torture I suffered.

Q: When you first was diagnosed with cancer and given 3 months to live, what thoughts were running through your head? Did you feel like giving up?

My first feeling was one of being crushed all that I had hoped to do in my life at age 37 seemed to be gone. I felt hopeless and afraid to dye but that lasted only a short time I then knew this was not the attitude that would help me to survive. I then turned to God for strength I began to read the Bible more and pray more. That gave me great peace I still wasn’t sure if I would live but I felt I was in Gods hands and all would be okay.

Q: Which part of the book was the hardest to write?

The ending was the hardest part to write because it deals with a terrible incident that occurred with the police and it drags up horrible memories. That night I wound up in intensive care fighting for my life. The memories of being pepper sprayed for a half an hour while being hand cuffed and sat upon till I took my last breath are tough to deal with. It was the only day in my fifty years I ever had a problem with the police and it was right in front of my own home.

Q: Does your book have an underlying message that readers should know about?

My book absolutely has an underlying message and that is God helped me through cancer depression and yes even death. That God is waiting their to help everyone with their struggles no matter how big or small because he loves us all.

Q: Do you remember when the writing bug hit?

Yes it was late at night I came down to my kitchen and decide to write about when I had cancer to three parts of my body and was told worst case scenario was three months. I wanted to tell about how God helped me get through it. I also wanted to write about the deep despair of depression that followed and how I got through that also with Gods help.

Q: Besides books, what else do you write? Do you write for publications?

This is all I have written I work a full time job as a foreign securities trader. I only wrote this book to help others and to hopefully get the truth out. The truth is I was dead and God is alive.

Q: Would you like to tell us about your home life? Where you live? Family? Pets?

I live in Staten Island New York. I am married to a wonderful with three terrific sons and one annoying dog. (sorry to animal lovers its just a joke)

Q: Can you tell us a little about your childhood?

I grew up in Staten Island it was a great place to live plenty of kids to play with and plenty of space to play. I enjoyed playing every sport imaginable.

Q: Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

My favorite place to write is at my kitchen table when everyone has gone to sleep and its nice and quiet and peaceful.

Q: What do you do to get away from it all?

I like to get away by myself and read my Bible it helps me in so many ways.

Q: What was the first thing you did as far as promoting your book?

I hired a publicist Charles Barrett he’s done a wonderful job of getting me on radio shows to discuss my book and that’s been a lot of fun.

Q: What is the most rewarding?

The most rewarding thing about writing this book is that I have actually seen it help people. I have had parents read it and hand it to their kids also kids have read it and given it to their parents. It has helped open some doors and enable kids to speak to their parents about depression or anxieties or whatever was troubling them. Others have confided in me that they too suffer from depression and I try to help them know its not something to go through alone as I did for too long.

Q: If you had one wish, what would that be?

My one wish would be that everyone would learn of Gods love and be healed from whatever they are suffering because with Gods help they can do anything.

Q: If you could be anywhere in the world other than where you are right now, where would that place be?

I wouldn’t want to be any where else in the world unless I could take all my friends and family with me. Unless maybe Hawaii lol

Q: Your book has just been awarded a Pulitzer. Who would you thank?

I would thank God because through it all God has been there to help me. I would also thank my wife and kids family and friends anyone who has helped shape my life in anyway.

Q: Thank you so much for this interview, Tom. Do you have any final words?

Yes thank you for taking the time to read this and God Bless you.

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Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

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