Cookin' in Brooke's Kitchen
By Brooke Harrison, nine
As told by Eryc Stevens

When I was six years old my five-year-old cousin, Juliana, got sick.  My brother and I were in the family room watching television when my mom came in to tell us the bad news.  I wasn't really sure what "cancer" meant, but I could tell it wasn't a good thing.  My parents' faces were full of worry and tears, and that was enough to make me cry, too.

I asked, "Mom, what's the matter with Juliana?  What is cancer?"  My mom told us that Juliana had been diagnosed with ALL leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone.  My brother and I were so frightened, we really didn't even know what to think.

When we went to see Juliana in the hospital, she was lying in bed, and she had all these tubes and things hooked to her.  It was confusing and scary.

As her treatments continued, Juliana seemed to be getting sicker and sicker.  Every time I visited her, she looked different.  The medication she took caused her to gain a lot of weight, and she lost all of her long, beautiful hair.  I couldn't understand what the doctors were doing to her - it seemed like they were making her feel worse - not better.
 
Seeing my cousin in so much pain made me feel like my own heart was aching.  Something needed to be done.  I knew I wanted to help her get better faster, but at six years old, I wasn't sure how I could make a difference - I just knew I had to do something to help my cousin.

One night after we visited Juliana, all the way home I couldn't stop thinking about her.  A hospital can be a very scary, cold place.  I imagined how alone Juliana must have felt lying there during the night.
 
When we got home, I sat down at our kitchen table.  I always liked writing stories and drawing pictures, and I started working at it like I had done so many other nights.  But this night was different - I was thinking about Juliana.  I thought, What if I can sell my drawings?  Then I can give the money to Juliana's doctors to help her get well faster and out of that hospital.
     
When I told my parents, they thought it was a wonderful idea - but then we came up with an even better one.  We would make a cookbook.  I really liked cooking and baking plus writing and drawing - a cookbook had all these things combined.
     
The very next day, I asked all of our family and friends to send me their favorite recipes.  To my surprise, everyone jumped at the chance to help. Mom helped to put everything together.  Grandma typed recipes while I drew pictures that went into different sections of the cookbook.
     
My idea for a small cookbook quickly grew to over one hundred pages.
     
The local skating club paid for the first printing.  We sold almost 300 books in our first week.  I couldn't believe the response.  I felt really good!  I have never felt anything like it before.
     
Now the cookbook, which is called, "Cookin' in Brooke's Kitchen," is in its fourth printing and, because of many requests, I am starting on a second cookbook.  My wish to help my cousin has ended up helping lots of people.  The money from the cookbook has all been donated to the Leukemia Research Fund of Canada.  In fact, enough money has been raised to fund two research fellowships.  I have been lucky enough to meet many leukemia survivors, and lots of them have shared their stories with me.  Hearing their stories made me feel important and like I really have been able to make a difference.
     
Juliana recently turned eight and she is doing great!  I often think back to the times we sat in the hospital making miles of paper chains to pass the time.  We must have decorated most of her hospital wing!  The coolest thing is that she says I am her best friend and favorite cousin.
     
Now that my cousin Juliana is healed, I am too.  The heartache I felt was a part of the love I have for my family.  I'm glad that not only was I able to help heal the pain within my own family, but also to help with what happens to other families, too.  I guess life is all about mixing up the right ingredients - it takes equal parts of love and action to make the world a better place.