A ‘tale of hope’
Bone marrow transplant survivor offers book for kids with cancer
The Woodlands’ resident Liz Williams was 7 when she was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder and underwent a successful bone marrow transplant.
When a family friend’s daughter received a similar diagnosis more than 20 years later, she found herself at a loss for words.
“I wanted to send them a book or something, but there just really aren’t many books for kids with cancer,” Williams said.
Like 30 percent of those who need bone marrow transplants, Williams found a match within her family and received a transplant from her sister. The family friend’s daughter did not. As her family scoured through donor registries and the community held “donor drives” in search of a match, Williams was inspired to write and self-publish a children’s book of her own.
“When someone’s sick and the community rallies around them, it’s a beautiful thing to see,” Williams said.
Four and a half years later, “The Junk-bike Crew and Mattie’s Match” was published. Through a simple story about a little girl and her friends biking around the world for her match, the book helps both kids and parents grapple with the bone marrow transplant process.
The book is bright and adventurous. A self-described “tale of hope,” Williams and illustrator Jennifer Ward fill the pages with colorful pictures of bikes, balloons and faraway lands. But Williams didn’t shy away from the real-life aspects of battling cancer.
“There aren’t many books with kids who are bald, who have an IV tube,” Williams said. “It’s just important, I think, to see another kid who’s going through it, and then see that at the end she’s healthy.”
Mattie and the junk-bike crew eventually find her match via hot air balloon, and Williams’ real-life inspiration found hers too. The real girl met her donor, a young man from Chicago, and the two grew close. When she recovered, she was a flower girl at his wedding. Williams includes their story at the end of the book to give parents hope.
When donors and matches meet, their similar genetic makeup means they often look and even act alike, said Brian Allison, the Southeast Texas account manager for bone marrow transplant matching program Be The Match.
Allison, who has arranged several meetings across Conroe, The Woodlands and greater Houston over the years, said it’s the most rewarding part of his job.
“Once we see the two of them together, it’s just crazy sometimes how how similar they are,” Allison said. “That’s the cool part of the job is getting to see that interaction.”
Bone marrow matches can be rare. Finding a match is a complex process based on matching people to genetic markers called the human leukocyte antigen tissue type, Allison said.
For the 70 percent of patients who can’t find a match within their family, a simple test and 30-minute transplant can be a lifesaver.
“You just do a cheek swab, send it in, and it could save someone’s life,” Williams said. “It’s just mind blowing.”
A former lawyer in New Orleans who moved to The Woodlands with her family in 2020, Williams first launched the book at The Woodlands’ Kendra Scott location on Dec. 19. She hoped to raise enough for 100 book donations before May 2023; as of Friday, more than 170 have been donated.
Customers can choose to donate one or three books, which Williams will send to Houston charities including the Ronald Mcdonald House, Texas Children’s and Canopy Cancer Survivorship Center at The Woodlands, among others. Allison said he also hopes to add the book as part of Be The Match’s welcome package for newly diagnosed pediatric patients.
“The whole bike club getting together is very much a metaphor on how the marrow program works,” Alison said. “This is such a big thing for a kid to go through, even if they’re not the patient...so having something like this to let them know they’re not alone is is such a huge, huge thing.”
“The Junk-bike Crew and Mattie’s Match” will be available for purchase on Jan. 31, a day after her bone marrow transplant anniversary.
Become a bone marrow donor at www.bethematch.org and learn more about donating Williams’ book at www.lizwilliamsbooks.com.