Girl pens book on mother's cancer

The book grew out of an assignment at school.
MEDINA, Ohio (AP) -- A 12-year-old girl's private thoughts about her mother's battle with cancer can now be read by the public.
Allison Grace, of Montville Township, has turned her diary into a 28-page book titled "The Valentine's Gift."
The book is named for what Allison calls her worst Valentine's Day gift. On that holiday two years ago, she learned her mother, Mary, had breast cancer.
Alone in her room, Allison wrote down her thoughts in a diary that she hid on the top shelf of a closet. A young-author's assignment at school motivated her to write the book chronicling her mother's illness, from her struggle with chemotherapy to her death Jan. 8.
Allison hadn't intended to publish the diary. She said it was just a place where "I let out my feelings."
"I tried to be strong. I tried not to cry in front of my mom and dad," she said. "A lot of times I was scared, but I tried not to show it."
What's in it
Her book talks about her mother discovering the cancer through self-examination. Allison and her brother, Tim, accompanied their mom to a chemotherapy treatment so they "could see things firsthand. It made it less mysterious," she wrote.
"After the treatment, she would feel yucky on the third and fourth days. It seemed to last just two days. Then I had my same mom back, maybe just a little more tired."
With her mom's illness, Allison was given more responsibilities at home.
"I didn't expect to have to baby-sit him so much," she wrote of her youngest brother, Will. "But keeping things feeling normal for him helps me, too."
Allison's book includes advice for children in the same situation. She urges them to talk to friends, neighbors, teachers and, most importantly, their parents.
The last two pages include Web sites for children about cancer, organizations that can help and questions kids ask themselves.
Publisher Sandra Philipson, owner of Chagrin River Publishing Co. in Chagrin Falls, visited St. Francis Xavier School to talk to its young authors last year and read Allison's manuscript.
"It was very clearly written. I saw it as a book from one child to another," said Philipson, who donated her services, along with a design team, artists and printer.
How to order
There are 2,500 books available for $10 each at www.maxandannie.com. All proceeds go to the Mary Grace Memorial Fund, an organization the family established to benefit local cancer charities.
Mike Grace said he is proud of his daughter.
"It's hard losing a spouse. I can't imagine what it's like losing your mother," he said.
Allison said she has a second book in mind -- her thoughts after her mother's death.