Editor’s Note: Howard Frank Mosher died in 2017 of an aggressive form of cancer induced by his previous cancer treatments. In a Facebook post, he wrote:  “I am grateful for those nine good years.” He was 74 years old. 

Just before his 65th birthday, writer Howard Frank Mosher heard the news we all dread from his doctor — something was just not right.

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer and endured a grueling 46 radiation treatments to rid his body of the disease.

Howard says the cancer ended up giving him an incredible gift — it helped he discover what it wanted to live for.

The man who has been compared to Mark Twain and other great American writers did what he knows best — he wrote about this process of despair and discovery in his new book, “The Great Northern Express: A Writer’s Journey Home.”

Then, he set out on a 150-city bookstore to visit the independent book stores of America.

Howard talks about some of the greatest American writers and what it’s like to be compared to them.

He also says he was given something more valuable than money with his diagnosis — he was given the luxury of living.

Find out how his battle increased his resolve to live.