Donate to Publish a Book for Kids Facing Cancer

Hi! Thank you for visiting and learning more about my project. To better convey the story behind my book, I will try to share the last 12 years in a few paragraphs.

In July of 2012, our 5-year-old daughter, B, was diagnosed with stage 4 Wilms Tumor. Wilms is a form of childhood kidney cancer with an overall high remission percentage after treatment. This was not the case for B; she would relapse twice within 2 years. She would endure multiple surgeries, three significant operations, and many other procedures. On top of that, she was given over 9 different chemotherapy drugs, went through weeks of radiation, and suffered a great deal from side effects.

After her second relapse, doctors ran additional testing and determined that her original diagnosis was different from what they were now seeing. She had anaplastic Wilms with a mutation commonly found in Neuroblastoma, another form of childhood cancer that tends to be more aggressive. Our only last treatment option, at that time, was an autologous stem cell transplant. The year prior, we harvested her stem cells if we needed them in the future.

In November of 2014, we checked in for a five-week hospital stay. B was given a combination of 3 drugs, at high doses, to kill all the cancer cells. Unfortunately, it destroys the good healthy cells as well. To recover, you are given stem cells; these take over while your body recovers and produces healthy cells. Those were the worst weeks of her journey. There were many unknowns and a lot of fear surrounding losing her.

In February 2015, B was again in remission for the third time. We hoped, more than anything, that this would be the last time cancer would be a part of her life. At 8 years old, she deserved so much more from life. More than hospital rooms and meds that kept her sick. She deserved to be in school with friends, to grow up and into the person she was meant to be.

(Image credit: St Jude Children's Research Hospital)

Today, B is 17, quickly approaching 18, and a senior in high school. She's beautiful and brilliant. She's resilient and ambitious, with an incredible future ahead; I know she will make the most of each day.

We still visit St Jude Children's Research Hospital for check-ups and testing to monitor her health. She has some long-term damage from treatment, but that's her story to share.

I started my photography career in Tennessee, close to the hospital. Over the years, I have met so many incredible families. Photography has continued to be my creative outlet, and I genuinely enjoy each session.

A few months ago, one of my clients was diagnosed with cancer; she is the mother of 2 small children. One day, she shared that she was looking for a book that would help her explain her diagnosis with them. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of resources, and rarely is one created with young children in mind. That's when my inspiration to write a book was born.

I wrote and illustrated the whole book! Thinking I could only draw stick figures, I surprised myself and have so much pride for this project. I tried to include the most important details!

I'll be honest, I thought the whole process would be easy peasy, boy was I wrong! I've already learned so much, and I know there is still so much to do. That's where the idea for the Kickstarter campaign came to mind. I know that what I've created will help so many; it's helped me, too. I've always wanted to be involved in the "childhood cancer community," even after my daughter was in remission. It was and continues to be such a huge part of my life. I will always hold that journey near and dear to my heart, as we endured so much as a young family.

My hope is to have this book in every children's cancer facility. I would love to have my book in stores in hopes that one day it will help another family.

So, what's next? Publishing! I've been in communication with several companies and have narrowed it down to two. The initial costs are high, at least higher than what I have saved to use toward this project.

How do I plan to use the funds? First, hire a publisher. This is where my manuscript will become an actual book, in print and ready to land on shelves everywhere. I will also need to prioritize marketing and advertising and perhaps travel, depending on how this whole journey goes! I'm truly so excited.

I would love to give a portion of the profits to research. I will need to meet with legal to determine the best route; if you have any advice or insight, please feel free to reach out!

To end, I want to say thank you. Thank you for taking the time to read our story and learn more about the campaign.