'I wrote a children's book on my cancer battle to help my daughter understand'

Hollie McFarlane was told she had breast cancer last year – when her daughter, Sydney, was just three years old.

Following the diagnosis, the drama teacher from Gwersyllt, Wrexham, wanted to find a way to explain her illness to her youngster – especially as she was no longer the energetic mum that her daughter was previously used to.

So, between rounds of chemotherapy, she decided to put pen to paper to write about her experience in story form.

The 43-year-old said: ‘I’d gone from being a super-energetic mum who did stuff with her to just lying in bed, very ill.

‘I was very ill after the first round of chemo and had to stay in hospital because of it.

‘It was after the second round I thought I’d write my own book for Sydney so that she could understand what was happening and so she could see when she’s older that I was able to do something good during such a bad time.

‘I want her to know that whatever happens in life, you’ve got to stay strong.’

Now her story – titled ‘Sometimes, Mummy feels…’ – has been turned into a book to help other parents explain ‘grown-up’ topics to their children.

She said: ‘The book isn’t specifically about cancer, it can be for any family that’s going through trauma, whether it’s cancer, depression, or divorce.

‘It’s written from my daughter’s standpoint and what she has seen since my diagnosis.

‘Every page deals with a different kind of emotion so one page will say “Some days mummy feels tired…” and then it will go on to reassure the child, saying mummy will soon be back to her smiley self.’

After going through six rounds of chemotherapy, Hollie has since been given the all clear.

She added: ‘It’s been a real challenge for the family but I’ve remained positive through it all, taking one day at a time and ticking individual things off the calendar as they came.

‘I’m so thankful to my absolutely amazing husband and my family who have helped me through all of this and I would urge all women to check their breasts regularly, it’s so important.’

Her book is now available to order in both English and Welsh on Amazon and the mum is already working on a follow-up called ‘Sometimes Daddy feels…’ too.

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