The book, Facing the Path Not Chosen, was titled (by Larry Paul Fuller of fd2s) to acknowledge the uninvited challenge of a cancer diagnosis. It includes 16 first-hand accounts of survivorship, based on interviews conducted by writer Daniel Mennega. Patients interested in participating in the program were identified by the M. D. Anderson communications team.

The photography (by Wyatt McSpadden) was originally shot for use in triptych installations that were part of a new signage system at the hospital, with single images accompanied by brief stories about each patient. Thanks to a grant from Sappi Fine Papers that paid for printing, we were able to take these stories and images – along with others that hadn't made it onto the signage – and reproduce them in book form. All creative services for the book were donated by former employer fd2s.

The interior photographs of this boy, Warren, show the other side of the Boy Scout standing so bravely on the cover.

Each survivor's story is told in their own words and includes a largely unedited accounting of their lives before, during, and after their diagnosis.