“When one family member is on the cancer journey, the entire family is on the cancer journey.”
– Debbie Fink
This heartfelt and empowering book was created in collaboration with a courageous mother of three as she navigated her journey with cancer. Written with evidence-based information, empathy and insight, it is designed to educate and empower children whose parents are undergoing cancer treatment.
The book encourages young readers to express their feelings, thoughts, questions, and worries, while offering emotional support. It provides a compassionate guide that helps children understand their parent’s journey: offering hope without false hope – equipping them with the tools they need to process, cope, and grow through one of life’s toughest challenges. The storyline helps readers and families move from fear to strength.
Impact of Book and Initiative, Phase 1, Pilot: ~240K beneficiaries: parents with cancer, their school age children, educators, and classmates.
3-Minute Documentary:Watch this short video that conveys the essence of our book and project: after reading A Mom of Many Hats, two young sisters planned a hat party for their mom. They were empowered to take pro-active steps during this family crisis, moving from fear to strength.
Additional information about this book and initiative:
The story was written and developed in ongoing consultations with oncologists, cancer patients, children of cancer patients, oncology nurse navigators and nutritionists, oncology social workers, cancer-related patient advocacy organizations, and other professionals in the oncology field.
In addition to providing parents/grandparents with the language to discuss cancer with their child(ren) at home, we provided many school counselors with copies. The purpose here was to develop social awareness and compassion among these children’s classmates.
English Edition: For Phase 1 of the pilot:Over a decade ago, we secured funding from Eisai Pharmaceuticals to launch and distribute the book nationwide. After a long hiatus, we’re now ready to support families affected by cancer in the English-speaking nations with the highest cancer rates: Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., Ireland, and the UK.
Spanish Edition:Cancer remains the leading cause of death for Hispanic and Latino people in the United States (CDC), and a leading cause of death in the Americas (Pan American Health Organization).
The initial Spanish translation of the book was completed, with a focus group of women from 10 Spanish-speaking countries reading the manuscript and providing valuable feedback.
