By Michelle Ruschman
As a mother whose family persevered through pediatric cancer, author Fran Fulcher is on a mission to support other families going through the same journey. Fulcher’s interactive children’s book, “Amazing Grace and the Wishing Tree,” honors her daughter’s memory and resilience.
She hopes her book gives families a quiet time to focus on their hopes and prayers during treatment. Fulcher knows firsthand how critical this can be. Her own family spent years traveling for treatment, often requiring parents and children to be apart.
“It’s a difficult journey and can take a toll. Families are often split up during radiation or chemo, with one parent having to travel with a child for treatment as the other parent remains at home taking care of the rest of the family. School, home life and activities have to keep going even while we’re separated.”
Fulcher’s daughter, Grace, had a type of brain cancer called anaplastic astrocytoma. According to Fulcher, the family was told the average patient lived another three to 10 years. Still, they held out hope that a clinical trial could be conducted during that time.
Grace was 15 when she was diagnosed and was determined to graduate with her peers. She reached out to her teachers to develop a plan combining in-person and online learning. Although they wanted her to concentrate on her health, Grace was determined to maintain this sense of normalcy during a tumultuous time.
Fulcher knew she would do anything she could to help Grace meet her goals. While traveling to Pensacola every two weeks for treatment, Grace continued to thrive academically and musically, drawing on her natural tenacity, intelligence and resilience.
“She was always a go-getter, even as a child. I never had to ask Grace to do her homework. She just did it and picked things up so easily. She was always a leader and joined every club in high school that she could think of. She was even part of the first flag football team at her high school and played violin with the Sinfonia Youth Orchestra. Grace graduated in 2017 summa cum laude.”
In “Amazing Grace and the Wishing Tree,” Grace entertains other children in the hospital with her violin. She and her brother, Maxx, lead people to the Wishing Tree, where families can tie their hopes, dreams and prayers to its branches, sending them to Jesus.
“In the book, there is a character named Nurse Jessica, and she’s based on a real nurse who was an incredible Christian woman. Jessica would leave work and still check on Grace. I truly could not have survived without the nurses that took care of our family. They gave me moments of rest, even for just 30 to 45 minutes, and I would sit under one particular tree to get some fresh air and vitamin D. That tree would eventually become the Wishing Tree in the book.”
Grace died in 2018, but her spirit lives on through her friends, family and her mother’s book. “Amazing Grace and the Wishing Tree” was published by Bell Asteri Publishing, whose mission is to improve the lives of children in the cancer community through storytelling.
The book is available at Amazon.com, Walmart.com and BarnesandNoble.com. Bell Asteri says proceeds from its book sales benefit Gold Together for Childhood Cancer and other nonprofit organizations. Gold Together is the American Cancer Society’s childhood cancer initiative, supporting research, advocacy and patient support.
Grace’s family also established the Amazing Grace Scholarship through the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation to help brain tumor survivors pursue higher education.
Families seeking additional information or support can contact Fulcher at franfulcher@proton.me.
Michelle Ruschman is a local artist, speaker and writer. She can be reached at michelleruschman@gmail.com or michelleruschman.com.
