Dancing through pain is part of ballet,
Managing pain is part of cancer treatment,
Emotional pain makes both so much harder to handle.
Of course, Davis won’t get addicted to pain medications after chemo is done…
Of course, Cason will ace the national ballet audition and escape her mother’s perfectionism…
But the human body can only do so much, and the teen psyche copes as best it can.
The “minor strain” in Cason’s strong, perfect ballerina’s leg is instead life-threatening.
The need to escape back into drugs after months of rehab is so much stronger than Davis could ever imagine.
She’s in the Atlanta pediatric oncology ward for treatment, he’s there for community service, they get along well enough… maybe.
Is Cason brave enough to even walk again?
Can Davis walk away from the pills and pain he’s caused others?
Maybe time at Camp Chemo will help them both see a future…
+++++
The author is an actor, cancer survivor, and amputee. Her next #ownvoice book, Finding Balance , starts at Camp Chemo and will be published in May 2020.
When did an outside event make you change big plans?
**kmm
Book info: Brave Enough / Kati Gardner. Flux / NorthStar, 2018. [author Facebook] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.