Letters to Dr. Wiggy

When Ellen Mandel's friend underwent a double mastectomy for stage-two breast cancer, she needed all the support she could get. Ellen, ever caring, answered the call.

Some send flowers to sick friends. Others (Ellen included) send teddy bears. But no one needs as many teddy bears as Ellen delivered, no matter how ridiculous their costumes might be. Realizing her friend was in danger of disappearing beneath an avalanche of plush toys, Ellen switched tactics and began sending funny stories instead.

A cross between a clumsy Calamity Jane (yes, you read that right) and Gracie Allen, Ellen had plenty of material for her hilarious, life-affirming vignettes. She wrote of her wonderful (if slightly crazy) family and the trials of growing up as a young baby boomer. She sent reports on the antics of her grandchildren and her own attempts to survive as a self-confessed "technological imbecile" in the modern world. Mostly, she just made her friend laugh.

Letters to Dr. Wiggy collects Ellen's tales into one funny, poignant, and always-loving collection. Walk a few miles in Ellen's shoes-the road's sometimes rocky, but the trip's always hilarious.