Our Cancer Boy
A Heartwarming Dialogue with Michael’s Classmates
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
After being diagnosed with cancer just before his 7th birthday, Michael Murdock was scared. His biggest fear was that the kids at school would laugh at him because he was bald. Instead, his classmates elicited compassion during his most difficult days, by learning, listening, and showing him unconditional support. Along with the school counselor and their teacher, these second graders discussed their fears. Each child wrote a letter to Michael, asking him questions and sharing their thoughts and concerns, and Michael responded. The hope is, that by sharing their story, other children who are faced with a similar situation, will find the same compassion and resilience, by embracing those who need it most.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Our Cancer Boy reveals the conversations carried on by letters written by Michael Murdock and his second-grade classmates after Michael received a diagnosis identifying his cancer as a medulloblastoma. His classmates’ letters ask with candor the questions on any caring person’s mind and provide glimpses into the joys and worries of children’s lives. Michael’s responses, like the interlocking building blocks he loves to shape into complex constructions, assemble a portrait, piece by piece, of a courageous and hopeful boy determined to live and to find joy.
Each student’s letter appears with a photograph of the writer and Michael’s response. Taken as a collection, the correspondence in Our Cancer Boy “… illuminates the precarious journey of children with cancer, inspiring young students to discover their inner resources and reach out to those around them … and to grow with renewed compassion, courage, and hope,” observed Gail Hasbrouck Malguy, school psychologist.
If you worry about someone you know who is living with cancer, if you are a parent or other adult who cares for a child in similar circumstances, or if you desire to meet a boy and his friends and discover the hardiness of their friendships and the durability of his hope, then Our Cancer Boy will share with you Michael Murdock’s inspiring and heartwarming story.
About the Author
Michael Murdock received a cancer diagnosis in the second grade. Even so, he wanted to be a normal kid. His classmates rallied around him, offering encouraging words and support. Now a tough and determined third-grader, he is free of cancer and lives in northern Virginia with his parents, sister, and a pet.