When the pediatrician said our 3-year-old daughter Cecilia’s lethargy and dark circles under her eyes were signs of childhood leukemia, our world turned upside down. That first week, I made a devastating discovery: there was no comprehensive guide, no expert, no roadmap for parenting a child through cancer while keeping a family intact. The realization was paralyzing.
Everything needed to change—and it did. I learned to shift my approach to this new reality, discovering how to ask for help and advocate not just for Cecilia, but for our entire family. Friends rallied around us, family stepped up in ways we never imagined, and my marriage to my husband Arne grew stronger as we became teammates rather than adversaries in this fight.
Through the lengthy treatment process, I chronicled the lessons, strategies, and insights that helped us navigate this challenging journey. I learned how to balance being both a fierce advocate and a loving parent, how to maintain our family’s unity, and how to find joy even in our darkest moments.
Today, Cecilia is living proof that treating cancer holistically—caring for the whole person, not just the disease—makes a difference. At 6½, she was declared cured. At 22, she graduated from college and immediately began pursuing her Master’s in Community Health and Prevention Research at Stanford’s School of Medicine—right next door to where she was treated as a little girl. She also defied her oncologist’s early prediction that the side effects of treatment would mean she would “never be able to do math or science.”
The stories, tips, and strategies in The Cancer Parent’s Handbook aren’t just about survival—they’re about finding resilience and hope through the transformative power of informed advocacy. My mission is to help families take control of the chaos, advocate for their children with confidence, and discover their own strength in the face of the unimaginable challenges of pediatric cancer.
