I am beyond excited today to announce that our long-awaited book “Eat Cake and 99 Other Small Acts of Happiness” is finally here! This is a passion project my daughter and I have been working on for over a year now.
Thanks to the generosity of our community (you guys), we were able to successfully crowdfund the project and bring it to life. So thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts
Why Eat Cake for Breakfast?
I think of that saying (paraphrasing here)… only during the darkest of nights can you see the stars shine brightly. Looking back now, I realize how blessed we were with so many stars during the most challenging year of our lives.
In 2019, our daughter, Maika was diagnosed with a life-threatening blood disorder known as Aplastic Anemia (Bone Marrow Failure). Miraculously our then 3-year-old son was a perfect match for her, so he became her bone marrow donor and saved her life.
During the months of her treatment, I was blown away by Maika’s courage and positivity. This was the biggest fight of her life, but she managed to find something to happy about every single day she was in the hospital. From Nutella bagels for breakfast, re-runs of sitcoms on the hospital TV, or busting my butt at UNO, she found joy everyday in the most challenging time of her life.
It was during this time that I picked up my long-neglected sketchbook and started capturing these little moments of positivity. Some were right down silly, like finding smiley faces on fried eggs, or discovering a green m&m in a pack of reds. Others were heartfelt, like a nurse wearing a teeny superhero cape on his neck to cheer up the kids.
Now I’m able to look back and see the trail of “stars” that guided our journey during the dark nights.
From our daughter finding a 100% match bone marrow donor within 2 months of her diagnosis; the donor being our 5-year-old son who we almost didn’t have. Re-discovering my passion for illustration during her prolonged stay at the hospital and documenting our daily joys into a darling illustrated book. Having you all supporting us so graciously so we could bring this book to life... and so many more "sparks" of hope that lined our journey.
And now, having the honor of donating the proceeds to the hospital and team who saved our daughter’s life…my cup is runneth over.
Even though this book was inspired by a little girl’s journey to recovery, it's for anyone who needs a lift to get through the day. It’s a book about finding what fills your soul, and doing more of it. It’s a book you keep by your bedside, and a book you gift to your best friend, or your grandma.
May you always find light at the end of the tunnel.
xo
Viola
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