Sometimes kids break complex topics down so simply that it's almost magical. And while the pain and struggle can't be erased totally, a child's view of something like cancer can, at least for a moment, create a few smiles.
That's what happened with musician Andrew McMahon's daughter, Cecilia, when she "wrote" a card for his birthday titled "10 Things I Like About Dad." (Though, clearly, she had a little help from mom with the actual writing).
McMahon was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 22, and now runs the Dear Jack Foundation to support young people who are diagnosed with cancer. He is currently in remission, but his experience and work with cancer hasn't been lost on Cecilia.
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Two of the 10 things she wrote in her card relate to McMahon's cancer and work with Dear Jack. "#7. People helped him get better when he was sick. He got special medicine from Aunt Kate," she wrote. The "special medicine" she's referring to was a stem cell transplant, according to Dear Jack's website.
Cecilia also likes that her dad "helps other people not get sick. (#8)" It's just two little lines on a card that also includes things like "his hair" and the fact that he buys her chocolate muffins, but those two little lines make it clear that McMahon is doing important work and even a three-year-old can understand that.
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