BRAVERY MOUNTAIN

Cora was diagnosed with leukemia at 5 years old.  A short while into her treatment course, she was struggling (as any 5-year-old would) to understand the scope of her treatment.  This is when we came up with a mountain metaphor to explain her leukemia journey, to help her (and her brothers) understand her treatment path and to empower her as she went through every phase of treatment.

 

As a practicing pediatric emergency physician, my professional life revolves around sick kids and I often find myself guiding families and children through some of the most difficult days of their lives.  I thought I had seen it all, but my world was forever changed when my own daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. Despite having so much professional experience with similar cases, my world was shattered and I could not believe how much was asked of her at such a young age.  In order to help her understand what came next, my husband and I came up with the metaphor of a mountain that represented her illness and journey.  We explained that her leukemia mountain would have some areas that were steep and difficult, some that were easier or downhill, and would have different obstacles at each phase of treatment. She took this idea and absolutely ran with it.  She drew her own personalized version of her favorite mountain (and the tallest mountain from sea bottom) Mount Mauna Kea, complete with fireballs and lava obstacles that she needed to dodge, and adorned with butterfly forests, unicorn guides, and gem rewards.

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We framed this mountain and referred to it throughout her treatment course and literally moved a little Cora stick figure along the mountain every time she finished a big treatment or made progress. This lifted her up during tough times and allowed her to give herself credit for all the difficult things she did. Even at a young age, it gave her perspective on her illness and treatment course, and gave her motivation to get through to the next step.  We found this metaphor so helpful that we started sharing it with her oncology team members and other patients.  It was so well-received that we wanted to find a way to share this idea with other children and make them their own personalized mountain to guide them through their journey....and thus, BRAVERY MOUNTAIN was born!