One day you are going about your ordinary life and the next your child is diagnosed with cancer. What would you do?
A few years back, a then 6 year old girl named Alicia, successfully battled cancer. Her life and the lives of those around her were never the same and her struggles and triumphs were chronicled by her mom in a series of emails to friends and family. The emails were informational and inspirational and the list of those receiving them grew. They were forwarded to others and many people could not wait for the next update. Some made you laugh and some made you cry but they all offered a snapshot view into the life of one family fighting the toughest fight of their lives. Alicia's Updates, A Mother's Memoir of Pediatric Cancer is a book about hope, faith and having fun in the wake of adversity. A mother's determination that even cancer could not stop her daughter and other children from living life to the fullest and having fun!
Excerpt
NURSES AND DOCTORS ARE YOUR FRIENDS . . .
I AM A very social person, always have been and probably always
will be. When they say the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree, it is
easy to understand that my children’s ability to start conversations and then
have lengthy ones of substance is natural. From the beginning of treatment,
Alicia was very capable of speaking directly with the nurses and doctors
that cared for her. Many times, it seemed as though I was just there to
keep Alicia company as she explained her history, her symptoms, and even
what medications she needed to the staff. Everyone quickly grew to love
her and appreciate her. She was an excellent patient who always did as she
was told, never whined or complained and engaged everyone, including the
cleaning people, in jovial conversation. Because of her sunny disposition,
her room became a regular “hangout” for staff. During their breaks, many
of them would be found sitting next to Alicia’s bed, playing cards, doing
crafts, or doing their nails. One day, Alicia decided to play a trick on one
of the nurses named Kelly who always would joke around with Alicia.
Alicia cut a small lock of hair from Lauren’s head and attached it onto a
piece of surgical tape. She then waited for Kelly to come into her room,
and Alicia placed the piece of tape over her eyebrow. When Kelly walked
in Alicia said, “Kelly, look, I am going to wax my eyebrows,” and pulled
the tape from her face. Of course, there was hair on it, and Kelly almost
fell over. She really believed for a split second that Alicia had waxed her
eyebrow. Alicia, Lauren, Kelly, and I laughed so hard we almost cried.
It was a perfect example of the relationship Alicia had forged with the
For a time, I perched myself on a flat rock, comparing my life with the Guyandotte River. Just as its tributaries replenish it daily, changing it in some small—sometimes great—degree, so have the day-to-day occurrences of life changed me. Like the ri
This is not a drill. The attack on Pearl. They were the ghost planes of the night, deadly, illusive, sharp-clawed Black Cats. The Memoirs of ARM H.P. Lawrence, a Pearl Harbor survivor, Black Cat, and decorated war veteran.
She never felt safe at home as a young girl, and didn't understand why when she finally escaped she wasn't safe in the big wide world either ...effectively jumping out of the frying pan into the fire!
