Cancer can be confusing for young children often causing them to be afraid of hurting the patient or making them sicker. I was that young child. My sister was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was eight years old. This was very confusing for me. I was scared to be around her because I did not know what was happening. My parents took her to the doctors and the hospital while others cared for me. I never knew what exactly was taking place with her illness.
Terminology and medical events are not easily interpreted by children. This story explains breast cancer to children with basic and simple vocabulary through the interaction of a young girl and an animated hummingbird as they bake chocolate chip cookies. With the clever use of comparisons to the baking process, the young girl begins to learn what can happen in the stages of treatment for the cancer. The story ends with a message of hope and understanding, as well as a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. My goal is to help other children like myself who are going through this complicated disease without the fear that I encountered. With the use of a simple dialogue between the main characters, I hope breast cancer can be explained to children.