First-time author and cancer survivor Lindsey VanDyke chronicles her journey back to life in Bow Ties, Butterflies and Band-Aids

Claremont, CA – In Bow Ties Butterflies & Band-Aids: A Journey Through Childhood Cancers and Back to Life, author Lindsey VanDyke shares the story of her three cancer diagnoses between the ages of 11 and 21,the treatment processes and her reintegration into normal life.

In Bow Ties, Butterflies and Band-Aids, VanDyke, along with the help of friends, family and caregivers, offers afirst-hand account of the difficulties of childhood cancer. As VanDyke describes the hardships she endured as acancer patient, those closest to her offer their perspective in an effort to give the reader an idea of what it is liketo watch a loved one suffer from cancer. In addition to sharing the emotional turmoil brought on by herdiagnoses and treatments, VanDyke also discusses the obstacles one must overcome when able to return to anormal life. “Cancer and cancer treatments impact every aspect of your life continually for years into remission,and my hope is to soften these blows just a little,” she says.

While VanDyke intends to portray the hardships of childhood cancer, she feels it is important for readers,especially those with similar circumstances, to know that her experiences shaped her into the woman andsurvivor she is today. “My objective for this book is to help start and fund an organization that will providefinancial assistance for everyday expenses to families who are struggling through the pediatric treatmentprocess,” she says.

Bow Ties, Butterflies & Band-Aids: A Journey Through Childhood Cancers and Back to Life is available for sale online at Amazon.com and other channels.

About the Author

Lindsey VanDyke was diagnosed with a Stage IV Wilms’ tumor (nephroblastoma) at the age of 11 and suffered arelapse at 13. At 21, she developed thyroid cancer from the treatments she’d received as a child. In spite of herprognosis, she went on to study broadcast journalism and psychology at Gonzaga University and worked briefly in television before going back to school. Currently, she is an osteopathic medical student at Western University of Health Sciences in Claremont, Calif. Bow Ties, Butterflies and Band-Aids is her first book.

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Help kids with Childhood Cancer, www.whatchagonnado.org

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