Moline dog and owner co-authored a book on how to beat cancer

Moline, Ill. (KWQC) -A Moline woman has been diagnosed with cancer four times. She was inspired to write a book (from her dog’s perspective) on how he helped her repeatedly beat the disease.

Pamela Crouch and her dog, Cooper Wigglesmith, are the co-authors of a new 32-page book, “Dr. Cooper’s Guide to Cancer Recovery: How I Helped My Mom Beat This Stupid Disease Four Times.”

Family, friends and faith help patients dealing with such a terrible disease, but Crouch says that Cooper was her constant comfort through it all–and never judged her if she was bald or too tired to take a walk.

The beagle–who was just a year old when Crouch was first diagnosed in 2008–has a very reassuring presence, which helped her immensely while undergoing treatment. Cooper is now an old dog at 15 years old and is experiencing some health challenges of his own.

This guidebook contains photos of Cooper and was published by her husband, Chris Zayner. Quad City Arts provided a grant that allowed for 250 copies to be printed by Davenport Printing Company.

Crouch has donated copies of the book to regional cancer centers (including Genesis and UnityPoint), Gilda’s Club, other cancer organizations, and cancer patients she personally knows.

The book is written for all ages and can be a conversation starter if someone in the family has cancer and children need ways to better understand what is going on with a loved one.

If you’d like to contact Crouch (or Cooper) with questions about the book or to request a copy, email [email protected]

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