'Live in the moments': Edmonton author writes children's book about her family's experience with cancer
An Edmonton mother is sharing her experience about coping with her daughter's battle with cancer through a children's book.
Memphis Can Teach Her Mom New Tricks, written by Kimberly Hlewka, tells the story about a puppy named Memphis who becomes sick – a story which parallels her own daughter's experience with Burkitt lymphoma, a rare form of blood cancer.
Samantha, Hlewka's eight-year-old daughter, was diagnosed with the rare cancer in June 2021 when she was only five.
According to Hlewka, Samantha started complaining about stomach pains in November 2020. In June 2021, she was rushed to the Stollery Children's Hospital where scans revealed that her intestines were infected and emergency surgery was needed.
"When you hear the word 'cancer,' the first place I went was, 'I'm going to lose my little girl,'" Hlewka said. "There were moments where I didn't know if she was going to make it and those moments will never be out of my mind or my body.".
According to Hlewka, the book serves to support other families going through cancer scares and to remind them to "live in the moments" and to "enjoy the new tricks."
"The new tricks are moments of a hug with your kid or a hug with your husband or the people that mean the world to you," said Hlewka. "You don't know when that's the last hug you're going to get."
Hlewka said she didn't write the book to become published, but to give her and her family some peace and to provide herself an opportunity to heal.
"It's about the simple things and it's about looking at life through the eyes of my kiddo," she said. "Live in the moments – those moments can be taken from you so quickly and so fast."
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