Sammy's Mom Has Cancer

When I was diagnosed with malignant cancerous tumors, my outlook wasn't great. My biggest fear was that God was going to take me away from my beautiful boy, a gift he had only given me just about five years earlier. I needed a way to tell my son, without scaring, without hurting, with a gentle hand of love that he's always known. I read this story to him twice in a row. He sat very quiet and asked me if I was going to leave him and live in heaven, I told him no, that mommy would fight and fight to be here with him and well, twelve years later, I am. Partly because of the courage I gained and the attitude I gained after reading this book to the most important gift I ever received. My son...and to this day, he remembers me sick and my hair falling out and he says he's proud that I am a survivor. HE'S PROUD OF ME...imagine that. I'm just as proud of him if not more. If you're looking for a gentle book, an informative book, a book they'll understand about a disease that even sometimes we don't, this is the book. I believe in it so much that I donated two copies to my son's school library in his name for children and parents alike going through the same situation. I didn't know where to turn. Maybe that helped them know and maybe my review will help you too. Thank you from "survivor" in a lavendar bow...

I was concerned that my 3 year old would not understand what was happening to his grandma who is now undergoing treatment for cancer a 2nd time. The book mirrors our lifestyle and my son could relate to the parents and Sammy. While I do not have cancer, he connected when I told him that grandma has cancer. He recognizes that she goes to the doctor to get better. He recognizes that sometimes she's not feeling well enough to play. While we are extremely optomistic, as anyone should be, treatment does not always yield positive outcomes. This books has a happy ending appropriate for younger kids. It also allows him to reiterate to grandma that she will get better!!!

This was my favorite of the first 3 books I got for my 6 year old daughter when her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. (It is appropriate for young toddlers all the way through very early elementary school aged kids.) It VERY BASICALLY shows what happens when a little boy and his parents find out his mom has cancer. Easy to read and easy to understand. Wonderful for a child who doesn't know what cancer is, nor what to expect. My daughter really identifiies with Sammy. I would recommend this to anyone who has cancer and a young child.

I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and was trying to find an easy way to explain what was going on to my 2 and 5 year old sons. This book was a great help. It explained the entire process in easy to understand language and opened the doors for great discussions from my 5 year old. I would highly recommend it!

This is the book I want for my best friend, a young mother with breast cancer. Kohlenberg wrote the book for her 18-month- old son, and the book is appropriate as a bedtime story for toddler/pre-school ages, or as an early reader for elementary ages. It clearly and hopefully takes Mommy, Daddy, and Sammy through Mommy's cancer diagnosis, chemotherapy including hair loss, surgery, and finally a day when Mommy's doctors declare her free from cancer, for now. As useful as the text, are the glossary explaining at a child's level terms such as cancer, cells, and radiation, and the names and addresses of several cancer foundations for more information. In a lovely personal introduction for the adult, Kohlberg includes tips for sharing the news with a teacher, and simple activities a child can use to show Mommy love and share special moments with her before, during, and after her treatment. Other books and a couple of videos are referenced for further reading. I love the straight-forward and hopeful style of Sammy but it would be appropriate to choose another book if a child needed specific preparation to deal with loss of a loved one, or if cancer treatment was declined.