Mama’s Knight: A Cancer Story of Love
By Aurora Whittet
Mama’s Knight: A Cancer Story of Love is filled with tools and activities designed to make coping with Cancer easier on both parent and child, The book can be personalized for each child and is an emotional toolbox that can help children and parents communicate about what it means for Mama to have cancer. As hard and devastating as this terrible disease is this book helps get through it in a way children might understand.
Just the word Cancer gives you a feeling of dread and hopelessness. When you hear it connected to a family member it’s even worse. Imagine if you can a young Mother or Father for that matter hearing the news. From her Doctor she hears that dreaded word CANCER! What goes through the Parents mind.I am certain one of the first thought that they have is not about themselves but of their children. What to tell them and how to tell them and explain what it all means.
Mama’s Knight: A Cancer Story of Love was written with all these questions in mind.Mama’s Knight is of course the child.What is a Knight but a Champion for the Queen. A Champion to fight and guide Mama through a perilous journey. To help her fight the evils that befall her.But instead of fighting Dragons Mama’s Knight will help her fight something much worse.
This book not only helps to explain to the children what is happening to Mama but to make them a part of it all. What will this enemy do to Mama.What the symptoms are , How it will make Mama just to exhausted to play sometimes . What the Master Geniuses (The Doc’s) will do to help.
This is a clever interactive book book with different games and activities to help through this sad time. Encouraging the kids to write down in the books different things they do with Mama,Things like games they play,Recipes they like . It’s actually kind of a journal for Mama and child to fill out together. The colorful illustrations help make it kid friendly.
Although Cancer is a terrible thing to happen to a family Aurora Whittet has come up with a small way to help a the family and children understand.I would recommend Mama’s Knight: A Cancer Story of Love to anyone that has been attacked by this enemy that has young children and is at a loss as to how to make them understand.
Five Ways to Cope with Cancer in the Family
A Guest post by Aurora Whittet, author of Mama’s Knight: A Cancer Story of Love
Cancer is a beastly thing that lurks in the shadows following lovely people around, and it has the evil power to separate families physically and emotionally. Even just the word has power over us, debilitating our very lives. There are moments of panic, despair and anger that are so strong it is hard to find ways to cope, but truly it is a day by day struggle. There is no fast forward or easy button, but these ideas can help inspire you on your journey.
1 Laughter is truly the best medicine. Allow yourself to laugh at the little things like toddler toots, and spilled dinner. The little things that can annoy you, but don’t let it, stop and look at the bizarreness of the situation and giggle. Every moment is an opportunity to find joy, no matter how simple.
2 Ask for help. This is the hardest thing for families. Do not isolate yourself and your family from your circle of support. Your family and friends are your village, and they care about you, so let them be there for you. Whether that means asking them to drop off a package of toilet paper, or picking up a gallon of milk. Ask them to come over and help with more strenuous activities that you might not be able to handle on your own. Or even ask them to take the children for a few hours so you can nap or sit yourself down for a good cry.
3 Bring the fun to person with cancer. Someone fighting cancer, no matter if old or young, can feel alienated from the rest of the family and fun, causing them to feel alone and depressed. Activities based on energy level can help bring the fun back and unify the family. On themamavillage.com I have strived to bring activities to families based on the energy level of the parent to help create this bridge of fun, even when a parent is exhausted from treatments.
4 Emotional Outbursts. Communication is key to survival in all relationships and all challenges that face a family. So, as a diagnosis of cancer strikes your family or family near-and-dear to you, remember that every emotional outburst is a gateway to an open conversation about how each family member is feeling in that moment in time. Don’t look at the negative of the action, as much as realizing that action whether done by parent or child, is begging to talk and get a hug. Cancer is scary, so don’t build walls, break them down. I recommend relating emotions to animals and facial expressions to help children share their feelings too. Get down on their level. Sit on the floor and be equals, hear everyone out and let everyone know that door is always open.
5 Always remember forgiveness and kindness. Cancer is a struggle for the patient, the children, and the caregivers. It is emotionally and physically exhausting, so accept each other’s lack of perfection in this very human process of treatments and life. Make memories every day, take silly selfies, write down your adventures and love each other.
Aurora Whittet, author of Mama’s Knight: A Cancer Story of Love, Bloodmark, Bloodrealms, and Bloodmoon started out as a wild red-haired girl in Minnesota dreaming up stories for her friends to read. She has since has grown into a wild red-haired mama, an author, a birth doula, a national award-winning designer, a nerd a barefoot dancer and a caregiver .Today, she has completed Bloodmark, Bloodrealms, and Bloodmoon of the Bloodmark Saga trilogy and started her journey into children’s books with Mama’s Knight in honor of her own mother who lost her battle with cancer. She’s a national award-winning graphic designer . Aurora lives with her family in Minnesota.
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