I’m excited to reveal the cover of my newest book, Let My Colors Go, written by Courtney Filigenzi. I few years back I illustrated Courtney’s Let My Colors Out, published by the American Cancer Society. LMCO is the story of a young boy who deals daily with his mother’s cancer, each day is defined by a ‘color’. He has his angry Red days, or his happy Yellow days, etc. I am forever emotionally entwined with LMCO. When I was first contacted regarding illustrating it, I mentioned to the client I knew no one with cancer. It hadn’t hit home with my family. Boy, can life hit you hard! Somewhere in the middle of illustrating the book I got the diagnosis of my own cancer. And I watched while my own children’s emotions mirrored those of the book’s protagonist.
Here’s a excerpt from the book, SERENDIPITY, where I talk about LMCO,
“Within an hour my phone rang. The caller said, “I'm publishing a series of books on a sensitive topic and I love what you’ve done with the girl with Down syndrome. Would you be interested in illustrating books for the American Cancer Society?”
Cancer hadn’t touched my family or my life, but I felt sympathetic with the people it had, I felt I could bring emotion to the subject. The first book I worked on for the Cancer Society, Let My Colors Out, written by Courtney Filigenzi, was a board book for young children. The protagonist’s mother was being treated for cancer and he showed his changing emotions with different colors. He had “blue” sad days, or “yellow” happy days. Each color of the rainbow was significant to the child.
Shortly after I signed onto the project, a delivery truck rear ended me at a red light. The accident injured both my hands, stopping my work while I recovered. Every day, I cursed that accident.
However, initially, the hospital performed an MRI to check for neck and spine damage. The report came back, “We see a large nodule on your thyroid.”
With research, I found that approximately 1.1 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer at some point during their lifetime. The odds were in my favor the nodule would be benign.
But while I illustrated Let My Colors Out, I learned that mine was malignant. I watched as my four children’s emotions mirrored the book’s protagonist’s to a tee. I had a thyroidectomy and have become a survivor.
Remarkably, my next book was Nana, What’s Cancer?, written by cancer survivor, Beverlye Hyman Fead with her granddaughter, Tessa Mae Hamermesh. I flew to Los Angeles to meet the two. Beverlye’s tenacity for life was contagious. Every day I thank God for the car accident that saved my life! I had noticed no sign of having cancer, but without that MRI it most likely wouldn’t have been found in time.”
Read my entire story here, from the book: SERENDIPITY compiled by author Madonna Dries Christensen.
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Last year I was honored when Courtney asked me to illustrate her follow up book, LMCG. Going beyond cancer, this very special book is useful for children of families facing a sudden illness, a job loss, the loss of a loved one, a divorce or a sudden move. Children view life changes and challenges differently than adults do, each day brings out different colorful emotions. This book can help children understand that they are not alone with their feelings.
Purchase on Amazon: Let My Colors Go
“A young boy uses color to express a range of emotions as his family undergoes a sudden life change. Some days he's sad, some days he's happy and other days he's scared or angry. The boy comes to realize that these "ups and downs" are perfectly normal for his situation.
Based on the award-winning books, Let My Colors Out and My Cancer Days, this beautifully illustrated book assures children of families facing a sudden illness, a job loss, the loss of a loved one, a divorce or a sudden move that they are not alone. Importantly, it helps them understand it's okay to let their feelings go. Drawing and journaling pages are included to encourage children to express themselves in a thoughtful and positive manner.”
