In Bow Ties, Butterflies and Band-Aids, author Lindsey VanDyke shares what it was like to be diagnosed at the age of eleven, and again at thirteen and twenty-one, with cancer. In her memoir, she directs readers on the journey she, her family and her friends took down dark hospital corridors—and out into the world.

She describes what she calls a happy childhood. Here’s the proof, because while her cancer transformed her experience and, ultimately, the direction of her life, it also shaped the woman and survivor she would become. The bulk of the often-playful narrative is the author’s firsthand account, while her mother, father, a host of childhood pals and, later, her fiancée offer vignettes that illustrate their grief, confusion and anger. These stirring anecdotes portray how cancer ultimately affects an entire community, at times shaking it to its foundations. The telltale scars it leaves behind, however, ultimately mark the measure of that community's happiness and joy.

About the Author:

Lindsey VanDyke is a native of the Pacific Northwest. She was diagnosed with Stage IV Wilms Tumor at age eleven then relapsed at thirteen. At age twenty-one, she had developed a new thyroid cancer secondary to the treatments she’d received as a child. She went on to study broadcast journalism and psychology at Gonzaga University and worked in television news before going back to school to study pre-med. Currently, she is an osteopathic medical student at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. Bow Ties, Butterflies and Band-Aids is her first book.

Lindsey currently has limited scheduling. Contact her for more information.