Sorry for the delay in getting this episode out to you all. It's been quite a summer! My new wife and I spent the month of July on the other sode of the country, caring for my sister to recover from knee replacement surgery. Then it was my turn. I developed a large abscess, and with fever approaching 104, went to the ER at the local hospital. I spent 9 days in the hospital with a drain and IV antibiotics. We are now back home, but still working through whatever the medical conditions are.

Needless to say, it was difficult getting our podcast out, and I am sorry. I know we have a devoted following of listeners, and Fran and I truly want to be a resource for you. So I am hopeful that I will be back to full strength and energy soon and can keep going.

In the meantime, this episode is about you. We want to hear from you about what issues you want to learn more about, what are the things that you could use some advice or help with. So please reach out to us. We want to provide meaningful and relevant topics to bring you.

Thank you for listening to our episodes, and please pass thi so to frirnds, family, even your health care providers.

John & Fran

When a serious illness affects a parent, oftentimes the young children are overlooked or excluded from the situation. Externally, they may seem fine, but internally they are observing, processing and trying to make sense of what is happening.

In her insightful book, Dr Fran put us in the mind of young Stella, who witnesses the decline and ultimately, the death of her mother. We see how each of the siblings responds to the family crisis, and where the youngest sibling is left.

Written in the style of a memoir, written over time as Stella matures, it allows the reader to see into her thoughts and understanding of her reality. It is an insightful book, and a must read for anyone with young people in their lives.

When a cancer diagnosis is given, it is given not only to the patient, but to every family member. Like a rock trown into a calm lake, those waves emanate out impacting family and friends surrounding the patient.

Over the course of our podcast, John and Fran have spoken to friends caring for a friend, spouses caring for a partner, a parent caring for their sick child.

In today's episode, we examine and explore dealing with a chroinic illness through the eyes of a young person experiencing the illness of a parent. Through her own personal experiences, and as an educator in the dramatic arts, our guest has been able to help her student confront the reality of life-threatening illness of a parent, and to express their emotions in a healthy way.

"A Monster Calls" is a play about a teenager confronting the reality of a sick parent amid the turmoil of everday teenage life. It is a powerful story.