It All Began With A Little Lump...

 When Heather’s cancer journey began 5 years ago it was my hope that someday we would write a book together. We decided from day one to take photos to document all that we could about her incredible journey. Most of the photos were taken by me from first cut of the ponytail to her final days in ICU. Bill and Jenn managed to get 3 of the most impactful photos of our journey. Of course Bill took all the beautiful photos at the ball. It was my hope that Heather and I would write a book together and then publish it to the world. She was supposed to be with me on the book signing tours that would launch our story to the best seller list…ha ha ha 

As I started the CaringBridge blog in the early hours of April 11, 2008 I began writing about Heather’s journey through my eyes and emotions of being her Momy. I feel it is the most telling story about a real struggle through cancer. I feel this is Heather’s story and began my own blog-Confessions Of A Grieving Mother not long after her death. I felt I needed to leave her story alone and begin my own journey alone.

I am excited, thrilled, saddened and shocked to announce that on Friday May 24, 2013, I signed a contract with Archway a division of Simon & Schuster Publishing. For the time being right now, I am self –publishing. However, my editor, read my first few chapters, feels that this is a remarkable story. He also thought that my writing was very well done to tell the story in vivid detail without being gross. His thought is that there is a great need for this book and will be picked up by the parent publishing company Simon & Schuster.

Regardless, My Porcelain Doll-A Mother’s Walk beside Her Daughter Through Cancer, is being worked on currently and should be available in 38,000 bookstores around mid-late October of 2013. This will be Heather’s story through my eyes from suspicion to a few days after her funeral. It will be available in soft and hard cover as well as ebook.

My gut feeling is that this is right and supposed to happen this way. Right now I have all final say about the cover, contents and distribution. Once it is picked up they cannot change what I have already published. When this ordeal began I took a very powerful photo just moments after Heather had her head shaved. She came home wearing a bandana and was looking at herself in the bathroom mirror. I wanted that photo on the book cover with the title My Porcelain Doll. I have it the exact way I want it and everyone that has seen it says it is an amazing book cover.

I also feel I got confirmation with something that I received in the mail the same day as I signed to publish. It was a check from the State Of Colorado for money I didn’t know I had and was a substantial amount. I do not believe this was by accident. I feel it was a Heavenly and Heather confirmation that I made the right decision.

I hope all of you are as excited about my new book as I am. I will be updating and letting everyone know how it is coming along. I also will be having book signing parties and be honored to sign anyone’s book.

(Back Cover of the Book)

“Then came a bunch of words like aggressive and really bad and tumor and spinal taps and on and on and on. Of course it still didn’t sink in how bad he thought it was until he started talking about transplant team and City Of Hope. I knew then I was really a sick lil gal. I think that was the first time I was really, truly scared that it might be too late.” 

 ~Heather Coombe

You are about to meet a remarkable young woman, Heather Coombe. No, she is not a famous actress or music star, but her gentle spirit and giving nature won the hearts of everyone she met.  Heather was a normal 20 year old on the verge of her life when a devastating diagnosis of two forms of blood cancer would change her world and that of her mother’s forever. 

My Porcelain Doll is Sherry Coombe’s, poignant tribute to her late daughter and is a moving memoir about walking side by side through Heather’s struggles and triumphs during cancer. Sherry traces the journey she and Heather shared through some of the toughest challenges and sweetest moments of fighting cancer. Genuine, intimate and unconditional love, My Porcelain Doll is a story of hope, joy and sadness that only a mother could write.