Book excerpt: Imagine sitting in a doctor's office, your sick five-year-old child or grandchild is wiggling in the chair beside you. The doctor says, "I'm sorry to inform you, but the only cure for this little heart is six months of total bed rest, no getting up for toys or the toilet." Your first thought flashes: 'Is she going to die? How on earth can I keep a five-year-old that quiet?' 'How sick is sick?' And then, the lighter questions; 'Can he run and play again?' 'Will she ever get well? Open Bitzy's Story and read how Bitzy tells you she heard this conversation. Like many cancer children of today, she absorbed the doctor's fears and your parental fears. She tells you what she went through to get better. Bitzy recovered from the physical illness, but the emotional legacy has haunted her for a lifetime. This simple tale achieves its depth from the therapist's notes accompanying most chapters. At the end of each chapter, the adult and trained therapist, Bitzy, explains the emotional damage that evolved from her family's heritage and the handling of her illness. Bitzy's Story demonstrates a fascinating method of healing wounds from childhood trauma and gives insights into how to handle your sick child, help a friend struggling with their child's illness, or why your family environment changed drastically when your sibling became very ill.