Giovanna Quevedo was inspired to write, “A Kid’s Guide to Radiation Therapy,” after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and prescribed radiation therapy as treatment.  Her experiences with her mother made her wonder how pediatric patients cope with their cancer diagnosis and treatment.  After researching educational materials for patients, she failed to find age-appropriate resources for pediatric radiation patients and knew she wanted to change that.  

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    In preparation for writing her book, Giovanna did her best to look at treatment from a patient perspective.  She spent a month independently researching radiation therapy and interviewing Child Life Specialists and radiation staff to learn as much as she could.  She worked with her mentor, Child Life Director of Miller Children's and Women's Hospital, Rita Goshert, to ensure the validity of her information.  On top of this, she attended her mother’s radiation therapy treatments and shadowed radiation staff during her appointments.  After shadowing, radiation staff offered to make a radiation mask of her face which allowed her to better understand the experiences of brain and chest tumor patients.  After writing and editing her book, Giovanna had the text translated into Spanish to broaden the scope of her audience and benefit more children.

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    "A Kid's Guide to Radiation Therapy" is a part of Giovanna's Girl Scout Gold Award Project.  This Award is the highest honor in Girl Scouting and is presented to young women who pursue projects that exhibit national and/or international change, impact, and excellence.  Her project recognizes patients on a national and international level through 12 leading hospitals, organizations, and library systems across the globe.  Her printed books were graciously donated through DiggyPOD in Tecumseh, Michigan, and Sprinting in Long Beach, California.  Her book is also available in eBook format as a free resource at her partner hospitals and on her partner organizations' websites.  

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