WHY DIDN'T I NOTICE HER BEFORE?: a memoir about dying to live

“…this keenly observed memoir delicately balances humor and heartache while signaling the importance of each passing moment. A profoundly moving remembrance that’s alternately sad and uplifting.”--Kirkus Review

"Why Didn't I Notice Her Before? is an honest--and brave--book about how the crisis affects her long marriage, her beloved child, her bond with her Mother and sisters, and her own vulnerabilities. Cramer opens her heart and digs deep in this authentic and unexpected story.(Lynn Povich author of The Good Girls Revolt)

In the fall of 2017, Beth Cramer went to a doctor for heartburn and came home with seven samples of Prilosec and stage 4 ovarian cancer. Over the next several months Cramer was in and out of hospitals and doctors’ offices with her three fearless sisters, parents, husband and son by her side. However, it was through her diagnosis and impending death that she was finally set free from an obsession and debilitating regret that had defined nearly a quarter of her life. Who would have thought that the journey towards purpose and peace would be achieved through the teachings of cancer? Irreverent, painfully honest and often hilarious, Why Didn’t I Notice Her Before? Is a beautifully observed memoir that finds courage and humor in the face of undefeatable odds. It questions the importance of regret and life choices, and it explores motherhood, marriage, friendship, and family while examining the elusive questions we all grapple with. Why me? What am I living for? And who can I negotiate with to make my life and legacy more meaningful than driving a carpool?