A story about the strength of sick children

Andrea Ramírez Peñaloza

Illustrated by Mechtilde Molin

The Magic Light Inside Me

Translation Johnell DeWitt

Text: Andrea Ramírez Peñaloza

Ilustrated by: Mechtilde Molin

Translated by: Johnell DeWitt

Total or partial reproduction of this book is forbidden, by any means without prior consent in writing by the author.

First Edition: Asuncion - Paraguay, March 2016

ISBN: 978-99967-0-146-7

This book is a non-profit project. Printed books in Spanish were given in hospitals across Latin America. You can find free electronic versions in Spanish and other languages on the author’s website. You can also make a donation to help these books continue to be distributed.

Visit www.andreaescritora.com to find other books from the author and to communicate with her.

Original title: Niños hechiceros de luz

Hi there! I’m Thomas. I was a regular, everyday kid just like you until I

found out that I had magic inside me. Let

me tell you the story...

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Last year I began feeling really, really bad and the doctor told my mother that I was sick.

I didn’t understand what was happening. I didn’t like going to the doctor so much. I especially didn’t know that being sick was going to change my life.

Do you want to know how I found

my magic?

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When we first arrived at the hospital, I was very scared. It was full of strangers and I wanted to go home. They poked me many times and it made me very sad.

Little by little, I got used to the place. I enjoyed meeting the doctors, nurses, and other children. That’s when I began to discover that I had special powers.

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One time, a nurse came into my room, and I didn’t like the expression on her face. It really scared me.

The scary nurse transformed immediately. Her face began to glow and her eyes filled with tenderness and kindness. I had activated my

first magic power!

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Before I found my powers, I would have been afraid of her. But then I looked at her and used my first superpower: MY BIG SMILE.

The doctors took blood from my arm, and this is the battle they saw.

I soon learned that my second superpower was MY INCREDIBLE STRENGTH. On the outside, I looked like an ordinary child, but if you looked inside me, you would see the fight going on inside my body.

Let me show you what I mean. Take a closer look under the microscope:

My body, like yours, is made up of millions of tiny cells. But some of my cells went bad and stopped playing nicely with the others.They started to act like an angry mob that wanted to hurt me, so I had to fight them.

This is what I imagine angry cells look like.

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When the angry cells first attacked, the healthy cells

were not prepared and many were injured.

My healthy cells were overwhelmed, but the angry cells didn’t care. They kept calling in more friends and created even more chaos in my body.

The doctors decided to give me a special treatment that would give more weapons to my healthy cells and help them fight the battle.

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The treatment they gave me was very strong, so something happened that I didn’t really like. My hair began to fall out. I was very worried and wanted to cry until I understood what was happening.

My hair fell out because the cells that hold the hairs in were lost in the battle. When there were no cells to hold my hair, it fell out.

Sometimes the cells that help grow my hair get caught in the battle. They become too weak to hold on to my hair, so it just comes out.

Let me explain

it bette

r.

14 15

I prefer

a fairy hat.

Well, it doesn’t really matter, because when the battle is over, the hair cells will go back to their post, and my hair will grow back. So, in the meantime, I just use my wizard’s hat.

Sometimes the treatment is very painful, and I don’t feel very well. I want to cry.

Then I remember that I’m strong inside and that I’ll move forward. That makes me feel better.

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So, I need to give my healthy cells the best food to continue fighting.

I don’t like to have to wear a mask either, but wearing a mask prevents me from breathing in bad germs.

I like to imagine that it’s a disguise, and I draw funny faces on them.

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There are some things I really don’t like, such as not being able to eat whatever I want, but unhealthy food feeds the angry guys and

makes them stronger.

STOP

You know what? I love laughing. It makes me happy, and helps me feel stronger than the angry cells and germs.

My third superpower is a POWERFUL LAUGH. It’s not like the powers of superheroes because I can share it with others.

My laugh is contagious. Usually when I start to laugh, those around me can’t help but laugh too. So I’m learning to laugh more, because I know the effect it has on others.

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I’ve also learned that you have to live fully in the moment and be happy now.

Now I enjoy everything I do a lot more. I appreciate the wonder of every little detail, like when I

read a book or play with my brother. But most especially, when I’m in my mother’s arms.

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That light is my power source. It’s what gives energy to my treatment and helps me defeat the bad guys.

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The most important thing I’ve discovered is MY INNER LIGHT that is more powerful than all the medicine in the world. This light is bright and strong and is what makes me able to win my daily battle.

I’M STRONG!

GET OUT BAD

GUYS

MY LIGHT SHINES UPON ALL THOSE WHO ARE CLOSE TO ME, and knowing that I have that inner light makes me happy too.

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You know what? YOU ALSO HAVE THAT LIGHT WITHIN YOU. So join my team! We are fighters. We are walking miracles. Our great

power is to TRANSFORM THE HEARTS OF PEOPLE AROUND US.

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We are messengers ofLIGHT AND LOVE!

ANDREA RAMIREZ PENALOZA was born in Colombia on July 19, 1979. She studied international relations in Bogota, Colombia and earned a master’s degree from KDI School in Seoul, Korea and a second master’s from Toulouse University in France. She was a transport specialist for several years in Paris, France and Washington D.C., until she found Reiki which completely changed her life. Now she is a Reiki Master, with a holistic medicine practice and directs the “Mujeres Radiantes” project. Besides being a writer, she is a wife and a mother of two.

You can visit her website at:www.andreaescritora.com

MECHTILDE MOLIN was born in France on May 26, 1971. She is a professor of fine arts and has a bachelors in French. She is an artist, painter and teacher, and currently teaches painting and drawing to children in Asuncion, Paraguay in her Atelier d’Art. She is a wife and a mother of four.

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THE MAGIC LIGHT INSIDE ME is a story about Thomas, a child with cancer, and the strength he discovers in himself. Harsh issues, such as chemotherapy, hair loss, etc. are addressed in a child-friendly manner. While this story was written for children with cancer in mind, it can help any child who might be struggling with a difficult illness or situation. The story’s main objective is to help children, families and medical staff see the illness as a challenge that can be overcome. My wish is to leave a message of hope and strength with those who are facing this life challenge.

This book is a non-profit project, you can request a free electronic copy at the author’s page. If you want to contribute to the distribution of these books, in Spanish, at hospitals across Latin America, you can make a donation here: www.andreaescritora.com

7014677899969

ISBN 9789996701467