Jon Stewart’s testimony before Congress reminded America – in scathing terms – of their responsibility to 9/11 first responders, but the effects of that day spread to nearby residents as well. Carolyn Glasoe Bailey owned an art gallery in lower Manhattan, and years later in Los Angeles, she was diagnosed with brain cancer. Her doctors told her it was mostly likely due to her proximity to Ground Zero. When Jon Stewart took to CSPAN, it moved Lila Glasoe Francese, her sister, to finally release the book she wrote about Carolyn’s journey.

When Carolyn is diagnosed with glioblastoma brain cancer, Lila is unaware of the complexity of the diagnosis and unprepared for the devastating path to come. When she was told she had cancer, Carolyn opted into treatment, even knowing it might change her personality. At that time, Lila went to search for a book to help her understand what her sister was going through and what her family should expect. She couldn’t find anything to support her. So she wrote the book she needed at the time to support others in their own journey.

The Situation takes readers on an emotional and intense journey that explores the lifelong bond between siblings and the aching loss of deep relationship. Like When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi and Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, it deals intimately with the choices terminal patients face, and the effect of those choices on those who love them.

Lila Glasoe Francese was born in Minneapolis in the 1970s. She is a graduate of Breck School and attended SMU’s Meadow’s School of the Arts in Dallas, earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 1994. Relocating to LA, Lila began writing, sold a screenplay (Peg & Shirl), provided character voices for animated television shows (the most notable Family Guy), renovated real estate, and ran the personal lives of producers, studio heads, and CEOs. Lila is the recipient of a McKnight Fellowship and the Wellesley Book Award. She appeared professionally in regional theatre in both Minneapolis and Los Angeles. Lila began a design house called OHI HOME in 2006 which she continues to run alongside her husband. Her interiors have been published in Architectural Digest South America, LA Yoga Magazine and Ventana among others. In 2016 Lila helped found The Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation (CGBF). This non-profit art charity funds artists and provides art education programs in schools through the foundation’s initiative The Ojai Institute. Lila currently lives with her family in Ojai, CA. Her first book The Situation, A Radical Journey Thru Sisterhood, was published in 2020.