She Warrior by Siena Kleiner-Fisman; ISBN 9798395-044457; 90 pages; $13.99 on Amazon.
SAN DIEGO – Every Jewish parent and grandparent would kvell if their 11-year-old kid could write the way that Siena (Sisi) Kleiner-Fisman does. And every Jewish parent and grandparent would shrei gevalt if their child had to endure what Sisi went through starting when she was 3 years old.
In her own words and with her own drawings, this fifth grader from Toronto, Canada, tells the story of having been a very loud snorer when she was just 3 years old. Her mother took her to the doctor several times, who told her that it was nothing to worry about. But the snoring got more pronounced and when her mom looked up Sisi’s nose, it looked as if something foreign was growing up there. She insisted upon a more thorough examination, and, sure enough, there was a cancerous growth known to doctors as a “rhabdomyosarcoma.” Sisi nicknamed it “Toots.”
Once this cancerous growth was discovered, life changed dramatically for little Sisi. She had to swallow “yucky” medicine, endure various needle shots, undergo chemotherapy, which required that a port be placed in her chest to receive the chemo, and also undergo radiation. After being treated at the Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, she was transferred to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia which had special equipment for targeting the cancer, lessening the chances that other parts of her head could be inadvertently damaged by the radiation. Her hair fell out, the chemo made her constipated, she lost her appetite, and she was often very fatigued and cranky.
Sisi, writing in the third person, tells about the temper tantrums she threw when she just couldn’t bear another needle, or another treatment, or the thought of another day without fun. From a hotel, she and a parent (mommy and daddy rotated) eventually were admitted to the Ronald McDonald House, where there were other children to play games with and have fun.
A major concern was the likelihood that Sisi would lose weight, so little interest did she have in eating food, which to her tasted like metal. Doctors had considered putting a feeding tube in her stomach, which would have made Sisi even more miserable. Her mother came to her rescue, saying she would see to it that Sisi ingested enough calories even if it meant abandoning her normal, well-balanced diet. Thereafter, Sisi got to eat plenty of ice cream (her favorite food) as well as hamburgers with fries at a Philadelphia called Bear Burgers. With considerable coaxing, Sisi kept her calorie count up.
There were some high points. There was a time she took an unauthorized ride down the hall on her rolling IV stand. Another time, some students after meeting Sisi decided to put on a talent show in her honor. They even allowed an excited Sisi to sing in it. At the end of her treatment, when her cancer was deemed cured, she got to gong a bell as doctors and attendants applauded. When she returned to Toronto, a surprise party was waiting for her at home, with her two older siblings, other relatives, and many of her friends from the “old days” there to hug and to celebrate with her.
Sisi continues to have annual checkups, but otherwise is living the normal life of an 11-year-old. Well, not exactly. Not many 11-year-olds have written very readable 90-page published stories with their own drawings serving as illustrations! Nor could many 11-year-olds write as compellingly.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com