FOREVER HELLOS, HARD GOOD-BYES by Axel Dahlberg and Janis Russell Love

by Axel Dahlberg and janis Russell Love
(Charlotte, North Carolina)

Book Cover

Nearly 13 million kids in the U.S. have special healthcare needs—one in seven children. Yet, few people have ever heard their honest thoughts and advice, until now…

FOREVER HELLOS, HARD GOOD-BYES: Inspiration, wit, & wisdom from courageous kids facing life-threatening illness shares the stories, advice, and humor—in their own words—of 34 children who face life-threatening illnesses. The kids come from across the nation, and from all backgrounds, creating a mosaic from which all readers will benefit.

Nothing like FOREVER HELLOS, HARD GOOD-BYEShas ever been accomplished before: a book for kids from kids that engages kids, and is a must-read for parents, siblings, doctors, nurses, social workers, teachers, classmates, counselors, professors, and scholars—millions of people. The book is accessible because of the conversational style of the text; but perhaps more so because of the topical structure of the book. Each chapter considers one aspect of life such as “Hospital Tips and Tales” or “Adventures in School,” where readers can find all of the kids’ thoughts and advice on a topic. No book has ever provided the unvarnished words of ill kids in such a singularly unique format.

The book delivers powerful messages about strength, perseverance, hope, community, inclusion, anti-bullying, and giving back.


ENDORSEMENTS:

“These stories effectively communicate the real fears and challenges of children coping with serious illness. The authors also draw out the courage that these children exhibit in facing their illness while trying to maintain a sense of normalcy. Its messages of hope, strength and joy are ones all of us need to hear.”
— David Williams, President and CEO; Make-A-Wish Foundation of America

“Real children with real personalities who just happen to be in the worst times of their lives - Forever Hellos, Hard Good-Byes: Inspiration, wit, & wisdom from courageous kids facing life-threatening illness will bring you their stories to help the rest of us deal with related cases that all too often appear in our own lives. These are stories told by the kids themselves, living with the hard truth of their conditions and not just pitying themselves while dealing with the difficult problems of revealing their conditions to their friends, dealing with day-to-day life, their families, among other issues. "Forever Hellos, Hard Good-Byes: Inspiration, Wit, & Wisdom from Courageous Kids Facing Life-Threatening Illness" is heartily recommended for self-help shelves everywhere, for set of simply heartwarming tales.”
— Midwest Book Review, Oregon, WI

“This is an outstanding book. Each story is a testament to the beauty of the inner spirit. I would eagerly share it with our patients and their families. I applaud the authors for compiling such a beautiful piece of work and I strongly endorse its wide distribution.”
— Dr. Lori Wiener, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health

“The power of the stories serves as a source of inspiration and education for children and adults, and contributes to an increased level of empathy, tolerance, and respect. I will recommend it highly to professionals and parents.””
— Dr. Robert B. Brooks, Clinical Child Psychologist, Harvard University

“Forever Hellos, Hard Good-Byes is a rare offering for adults and kids alike. Teachers, counselors, medical students and professionals, classmates, relatives, and even the casual observer of kids with special needs can glean wonderful insights into the worlds of these youth by hearing from them in their own words. I plan to put a copy in the hands of everyone!”
— Parent review on Amazon.com

“In the 10 years that I have been working with children, I have not found anything that addresses the issues that this book addresses. In addition to helping children, Forever Hellos, Hard Good-Byes will be an invaluable learning tool for hospital personnel, parents, teachers, family, and friends, providing a realistic look into the challenges these kids face.”
— Gina Volonte, Pediatric Oncology Social Worker, Legacy Emanuel Children’s Hospital, Portland, OR

“We frequently use books and publications to help children and their families understand what issues they may be facing. This is the first book that addresses the children themselves and talks openly and realistically about the issues and challenges from their perspective. I believe this will become an invaluable tool to our hospice and palliative care professionals working with children who face serious illness.”
— Janet T. Fortner, President & CEO, Hospice and Palliative Care Charlotte Region

“This book is a fabulous tool for any instructor to use.”
— Nora Hager, Dept. of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Missouri