"My name is Shannin Chamberlain. I'm ten years old, and I go to St. Mary's Hannah School, and I have cancer."
Shannin lettered those words on the final page of the "book" she created while she was undergoing numerous operations, chemotherapy and radiation after being diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma and given a 20 per cent chance for surviving two years. When we learned of what the Northern Michigan schoolgirl had written and drawn in crayon we published Shannin's ABCs in facsimile, with supplemental text about her and childhood cancer, a glossary, bibliography and resources list. After its publication she appeared on the "Today Show" and made frequent appearances on behalf of the American Cancer Society. Now, eight years later, she has graduated from high school and is in apparent good health.
Shannin's book does an excellent job of making clear to readers of all ages what the important issues are for a child with cancer. She does this with an uncanny sense of balance that takes you from tears to smiles and makes you understand.
Each letter of the alphabet has a page, some with her drawings, such as "Q is for all the questions like, Why me? What's that for? Will it hurt? Will I die? Do I have to be poked? When is it going to be over?"
The experts...
"Delightful, moving and poignant (almost too much so) work of an extraordinary person... what comes through, for one who has watched patients, is her incredible aplomb in the face of such an awful and disruptive business. Kids have this freshness and matter of factness that has not been qualified and contaminated by the convoluted world of adults." Dr. Brian Lewis, oncologist, Kaiser-Permanente, San Francisco, and former clinical professor of medicine, University of California-San Francisco's Cancer Research Institute.
"Shannin's book will be a welcome addition to the literature, and I enjoyed every page. She has done a good job of making clear all the important issues for a child with cancer. She is obviously bright and thoughtful and caring." Dr. Beverly Raney, Jr., M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston; formerly Chief of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, University of Virginia School of Medicine.
$6.95 Quality trade paperback, 40 pages
ISBN 0-912184-07-8
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