Kiddipedia
The grief adults experience during the loss of a child or loved one is indescribable. But when a child experiences such a traumatic event, such as losing a sibling or a friend, their behaviour can reflect so many different emotions that as a parent, it can be extremely difficult to find the words or actions to support them.
One family and artist trying to provide some comfort to such a sad situation are Kambalda, WA parents Bec and Lee Horan, and artist, Sunny Ling.
“Where are you Harry?” was written and illustrated by Sunny, a classroom support aide for 10 years. She was inspired to create the book after Bec and Lee Horan lost their 8-year-old son Harry to cancer over a year ago.
Sunny felt the need to express in words, and later in paintings, where Harry had gone to his young friend, Jaxon.
Harry was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma in 2014 when he was just three-and-a-half, with a tumor wrapped around his right adrenal gland leading to his kidney.
Following more than a year of treatment, scans revealed Harry’s condition was stable, but in April 2019, Harry relapsed with a new tumor in his neck. He passed away peacefully on Friday 11 October 2019.
Sunny, who provided teaching support in Harry’s class, felt inspired to write a story about Harry, addressing the emptiness of losing a friend, but then exploring in wonder where Harry might have gone.
A narrative began to take shape, with whimsical explanations of Harry’s whereabouts such as “Did you fly across Australia to where the sand meets the sea” and “How about the big blue skies, did you soar amongst the stars?”. Sunny then added paintings following a “naïve, whimsical, expressive and childlike” style.
The story provides parents the opportunity to help children going through this situation, using the book as a way of explaining a friend’s passing in ‘kid form’, which also gives some sort of purpose to Harry’s death.
If your child is going through something similar or you would like to find out more about the story, including purchasing the book, visit https://www.whereareyouharry.com/
All profits raised from book sales goes to the Kids Cancer Support Group, who help families being treated at Perth Children’s Hospital.
For more information on supporting a child through grief and loss, visit https://bit.ly/2YR1YHQ
