Wolverhampton mum’s cancer hair loss prompts children’s book

A 30-year-old woman diagnosed with cancer has co-authored a children’s book inspired by her child’s struggles to understand her hair loss.

Shannon Frost, from Wolverhampton, went through six rounds of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma last summer, shortly after her wedding.

She said hair loss had been a major side effect of treatment, which upset her young daughter, and prompted the writing of My Mum’s a Chameleon.

“I wasn’t really bothered by it, but my four-year-old daughter didn’t like my bald head. That was the hardest part for her,” she explained.

The book, written from the perspective of a child, is described as a gentle way to explore the subject of hair loss with young children.

Inspiration came after Mrs Frost decided to get a wig, and picked out “a variety of styles and colours”.

“Once my daughter got used to the idea, she started to tell her friends and they all loved the bright red one as I looked like The Little Mermaid,” she said.

“That’s when the idea for the book was born, as an expression of love and support shaped by our family.”

The book, written with the help of her dad Steve Blanks, aunt Anna Blanks de Velazquez and cousin Jess Blanks de Velazquez, aims to help others explain why a loved one might look different.

“Given that lymphoma is common in younger adults, there will be many people with children who are trying to find ways to help their little ones understand what it all means,” Mrs Frost said.

She also wants to raise awareness of her condition, and is giving £5 from each copy of the book sold to the charity Lymphoma Action.

She explained she had not realised lymphoma was a blood cancer until she started her treatment, despite it being the UK’s fifth most common cancer.

After sharing her diagnosis on social media, she said people contacted her to say they would get concerning symptoms checked, which include a lump in the neck, armpit or groin, feeling worn-out for no reason and unexplained weight loss.

Lymphoma Action said it was grateful to Mrs Frost and her family for their support and for raising awareness.

Community fundraiser Hannah Leigh added: “Thanks to people like Shannon and her family, we can continue to provide vital information and support to make sure no-one has to face lymphoma alone.”