Alice’s Story: Representation, Resilience, and a Mother’s Promise to Be Seen
When Alice was just 10 months old, her story changed in a way no family ever expects.
She woke up from a nap with a slight tilt of her head.
Her parents thought it might be a neck infection — something simple, something treatable.
Instead, after days of testing, they were told the unimaginable: Alice had a brain tumor in her cerebellum.
Living on “Watch and Wait”
After Alice’s biopsy confirmed the tumor was growing, her family was introduced to a phrase that would come to define their days and nights: watch and wait.
Every three months, Alice needed an MRI to monitor the tumor’s growth. And in between those scans lived constant fear.
Every stumble raised questions.
Every cry sparked worry.
Was it a headache?
Was it balance?
Or was it just a one-year-old learning to walk?
That constant uncertainty — the waiting — became its own kind of trauma.
Searching for Representation — and Not Finding It
During this time, Alice’s mom began searching for books for her daughter.
Books where Alice could see herself.
Books where medical realities didn’t erase magic.
Books where children like her still got to be princesses.
What she found instead was silence.
Alice loved Disney princesses. Her friends talked about who they looked like. And her mom began to worry — what happens when a child who already feels different loses her hair, her sense of normal, her reflection?
That fear became inspiration.
Creating What Didn’t Exist: The Princess Lily Series
Out of love, concern, and determination, Alice’s mom created The Princess Lily Series.
In these stories:
Princess Lily is on chemotherapy
She loses her hair
She has a port
She faces challenges many children with cancer recognize
But she does so in an enchanted world — full of adventure, bravery, and magic.
A world where treatment doesn’t erase identity.
When Story and Reality Collide
The timing of the first book’s release could not have been more aligned — or more heartbreaking.
Alice was about to turn three years old.
She had just begun chemotherapy and a trial drug — a treatment plan expected to last 17 months.
And when Alice saw Princess Lily, she noticed something important.
The princess had a port too.
For the first time, Alice wasn’t alone in her experience. She was reflected. Seen.
To ensure these stories reached families who needed them most, Alice’s mom chose to self-publish, allowing her to donate as many books as possible to children’s hospitals and cancer families around the world.
Advocacy Born From Love
Through her books, Alice’s mom hopes to do more than tell stories.
She hopes to:
Advocate for children’s mental health during cancer treatment
Normalize fear, trauma, and emotional struggle
Help children feel less alone in what they are going through
“If I can help Alice and other children with cancer feel better about what they are going through,” she says, “then all my sleepless nights will be well worth it.”
One Book That Became Something Bigger
What began as a single book written for one little girl became The Princess Lily Series — a story world where children facing illness could still be heroes.
Princess Lily goes through chemotherapy.
She loses her hair.
She has a port.
But she also lives in an enchanted world full of courage, friendship, and adventure — a place where illness does not erase identity or imagination.
When the first book was released, the timing was uncanny. Alice was about to turn three and had just begun chemotherapy alongside a trial drug — a treatment plan expected to last 17 months.
For Alice, seeing a princess who had a port just like hers was more than comforting.
It was affirming.
As more families discovered the books, it became clear this was no longer just a series.
What started as a mother trying to help her child feel less alone began to grow — organically, intentionally — into something much larger.
Today, that single story has expanded into the Enchanted Hope Foundation, a volunteer-led nonprofit dedicated to supporting children facing serious illness and the families who walk beside them.
The work now includes:
Inclusive storybook series representing children with cancer, NF, and other serious illnesses
Free donated books and comfort items for hospitals and families
Community programs that center siblings as well as patients
Magical experience days that give families space to simply be together
What once lived on a page has become a whole world — built with intention, empathy, and lived experience.
Connect with Sarah and support the Enchanted Hope Foundation on Instagram here
Visit the Enchanted Hope Foundation here.
