Love & Leukemia

The Inspiring True Story of Lars Sundberg

By: Amanda Sundberg Halvorson

Narrated by: Amanda Sundberg Halvorson

This true love story follows Lars and Amanda, two twenty-somethings who fall deeply in love, with big plans for their future together, only to have the rug pulled out from beneath them when Lars is diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at age 24. They must learn to adapt to "medical life", putting their hopes and dreams on pause, navigating side effects and difficult emotions, and missing out on the beauty of every day moments that some may take for granted.

With a compassionate support system of family, friends, and community, and the added benefit of an optimistic and humorous personality, Lars is able to keep his head above water--but not without a constant shifting of the tides, as cancer refuses to loosen its grip on his body. Listen to learn of the resilience of a couple who weren't willing to allow cancer to destroy the life they envisioned, and the community of people that held them up and loved them every step of the way.

"Cancer is so limited… It cannot cripple love, it cannot shatter hope, it cannot corrode faith, it cannot destroy peace, it cannot kill friendship, it cannot suppress memories, it cannot silence courage, it cannot invade the soul, it cannot steal eternal life; it cannot conquer the spirit."—“What Cancer Cannot Do”, Author Unknown

©2025 Amanda Sundberg Halvorson (P)2025 Amanda Sundberg Halvorson

it's a true story based on pure love

It was very well done! I loved listening to someone I know personally read such a heartbreaking experience out loud and hold it together. You can hear the emotion in every part of the story. I loved it!

A love that endures

In Love & Leukemia, Sundberg Halvorson delivers a poignant and deeply moving love story set against the quiet backdrop of a small Minnesota town. This book follows the journey of Lars and Amanda (author), a young couple whose love blossoms quickly and intensely, only to face an unimaginable challenge when he is diagnosed with leukemia within their first year together.

What makes this story so compelling is the raw honesty with which it portrays their struggle. Rather than turning away from the pain, Sundberg Halvorson leans into it, showing both the beautiful and heartbreaking moments that define their relationship. Their decision to marry despite the looming uncertainty of his illness is both inspiring and heart-wrenching, turning their love into a testament of resilience.

Sundberg Halvorson writes with a tender yet unflinching hand, allowing readers to feel the weight of each medical battle, every small victory, and the inevitable grief that follows. The book is not just about loss; it is about the power of love, the strength of commitment, and the ability to find light even in the darkest times.

The setting of small-town Minnesota adds a layer of intimacy to the story, with a community that rallies around Lars, further emphasizing themes of support and togetherness.

For those who appreciate stories that explore the depths of love and loss with authenticity and grace, Love & Leukemia is a must-read. It will break your heart, but it will also remind you of the beauty of love that endures—even beyond death.

Heartbreaking & Heartwarming

I don't usually like books that the author also narrates, but I thought this one had the perfect narrator! I loved the love story, and the strength that it took to both write and tell the story of Lars & Amanda. As a 17 yr breast cancer survivor, it gave me a chance to see & really feel the side of the caregiver(s) of the person going thru cancer, and I can truly appreciate both sides. What a pillar of strength Amanda was to go thru each step with Lars! I learned a lot about leukemia, and am amazed at what a great writer/story this is!

Beautiful story about love and courage

This is a true love story that I highly recommend. Cancer is such a horrible thing to go through. One thing that really hit home for me was reading about all the up and downs. One day things look like they are getting better and you start to get your hopes up. You find out the treatment worked and feel so relieved. Then you find out it came back. It's so heartbreaking. The author did an amazing job writing this book. Listening to it, I felt like I was right there for both the good times and the sad times and really got to know Amanda and Lars. Such cool people. There were parts where I started to tear up. But I was also very inspired by the great love they had for each other and the courage they showed.

Interesting

Great book on leukemia and love. Very interesting facts on medical stuff as well. Definitely a great book to listen to and very enjoyable to learn and understand about leukemia. Overall excellent book to listen to.

Absolutely amazing!

This book brought me back to my childhood when I was going through cancer. I didn’t have to go through nearly as much as Lars did and I was very young but some stuff I still remember. It was an amazing book with such detail about their life together and his journey. He would be so proud of this book. Absolutely amazing Amanda!

Heartfelt Story of Young Love in Trying Times

The author brings us along on her story of young love in the middle of a cancer diagnosis. She brings life to Lars' story as well as her own, giving a caretaker's perspective not always seen. Although this book deals with heartbreaking medical diagnoses and what it is like to navigate treatments, it also gives us a glimpse into true love and all of the ups and downs of dealing with health scares in rural Minnesota. This book is a beautiful memoir of love and hope even in the face of cancer.