When life brings changes, challenges or big emotions, it can feel hard to explain these things to young children.
There Is Always Love helps little ones understand that no matter what happens ... love always remains.
As a mother, nothing prepares you for the emotional and physical challenges that come with a serious illness. When Vanessa Maiorano was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma her daughter was only 18-months-old and she had just given birth to her son. She didn’t have a second to process the news.
Before she knew it, she was receiving chemotherapy and thrown headfirst into a whirlwind. Vanessa experienced every side effect imaginable from infections to nausea, fatigue, hair loss, and everything in between. She was constantly in hospital, which meant countless nights away from her children. That separation was one of the hardest things she's ever had to endure.
Vanessa was initially told her treatment would last six months, but her journey stretched over three gruelling years, involving multiple rounds of treatment and 17 surgeries.
But it was losing her hair that was the most emotionally confronting aspects of her illness. Her daughter Mila, who was only a toddler at the time, wouldn’t go to her without encouragement. She didn’t have answers that made sense to her then, but she promised her there was still love, always love, no matter how mummy looked or felt.
Vanessa faced the heartbreaking challenge of explaining her illness in a way their little hearts could understand.
There Is Always Love is the first in a series of books designed to explore other difficult topics like illness, grief, anxiety, and separation — all through the eyes of young children, with the reassuring message that no matter what, there is always love.
Children's Books, Illness, Challenges, Overcoming Obstacles, Cancer
About The Author
Vanessa Maiorano is a passionate children’s author, a mum of two, and a fierce advocate for families navigating hard times.
After her own experience facing cancer as a young mother, she was inspired to create gentle, supportive books that help children understand the big feelings that come with life’s challenges.
Her mission is simple: to remind children that no matter what happens, there is always love.
After years of working in office management, Vanessa started her own Virtual Assistant company. This business began while she was going through cancer. Vanessa needed to keep working to manage medical bills and everyday expenses, so started offering administration and business consulting services remotely.
As it grew, she was supporting businesses with revenue growth and operational systems while undergoing treatment, healing from surgery, and raising two small children. Vanessa now consults for a number of companies and helps stay-at-home mums, some who are going through illness and others who are raising children, find flexible virtual work they can do from home.
She says, “It’s something that came from a really difficult season but has turned into a purpose-driven part of my life that I’m proud of.”
