A mother, a warrior

AMY MUNSON of Tracy (right) has delivered “My Mommy is a Cancer Warrior” books to a number of hopsitals, including Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, SD. She is pictured here with Sanford Health’s Jana Elwood. Submitted photo

Sitting in a doctor’s office last Dec. 13, Amy Munson received news she would call a Christmas miracle. After over a year-and-a-half of battling a triple diagnosis of ovarian, skin, and breast cancer, she was officially cancer-free. While she did 41 weeks of chemotherapy, six weeks of radiation, and had plenty of other surgeries to curb side-effects, none of those things were the hardest part of her battle with cancer.

“It’s really hard for a mom to tell her family that mama has cancer,” Munson said.

With her husband John reeling from the shock of the diagnosis, too, she didn’t know what to do.

“When you’re a mom who gets cancer, they give you pamphlets that tell you how to share the news with your kid … and the pamphlets are not great,” she admitted. “They’re honestly awful … a lot of words, and no photos.”

With no real guide, Munson broke the news to her family and tried her best to explain what it would mean for her children. Then about a month after her diagnosis, she discovered a book that included all the information she would’ve wanted to share with her family titled, “My Mommy is a Cancer Warrior.”

See more in this week’s paper!