Former breast cancer mum backs kids book
Tuesday, 5.10pm. A MOTHER who has battled to overcome breast cancer is supporting a new nationwide children's book which helps children understand the disease.
Jayne Cooke, of Clayhill Road, Sleaford, thinks that the free book called Mummy's Lump by Gillian Forrest goes a long way to explain the stages of cancer to children under six years old.
The book was funded by the Lavender Trust at Breast Cancer Care.
Mrs Cooke has battled with breast cancer twice. She was first diagnosed after finding a lump in her breast in 2003 when she was just 35.
Her daughter Eleanor was seven at the time and son Alfie was two.
Mrs Cooke had the lump removed, followed by five months of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiotherapy.
But the cancer came back and Mrs Cooke had a double mastectomy in January 2006.
She said: "The book is fantastic. I wish I had something like this when I had cancer, especially the first time when my children were young. It is a really difficult thing to explain to a child that you have cancer, as they think you are going to die.
"The book uses language they understand and pictures to explain all the stages, from what cancer is, to why mummy is getting upset and why mummy's hair is falling out."
Mrs Cooke is part of a young women's forum who reviewed the book before its launch.
She has also helped to create a new national leaflet called 'How to talk to your children about breast cancer'.
She is on the UK media panel to promote breast cancer awareness and has featured in national newspapers.
Mrs Cooke is a keen fundraiser and her total has reached 10,000 for Breast Cancer Care.
l Mummy's Lump is a free book and is available by phoning 0808 800 6000 or on www.breastcancercare.org.uk
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Sunday 05 February 2012
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