For many children, books are a source of imagination and escape. But for children going through cancer treatment, they can become something more practical and immediate; a way to understand what’s happening, to feel less alone, and to find some comfort in an unfamiliar place. 

Time in hospital can be long and isolating. Children are away from home, school, and friends, often trying to make sense of things that feel confusing or frightening. Stories can help bridge that gap. They offer simple language for big emotions, and reassurance that what they’re feeling is normal. 

For Chikondi, a young patient in Malawi, one story made a lasting impression. 

While staying on the ward, she was given a book called I’m Not Alone. Created by Dr. Emmanuella Amoako and Dr. Lily Gloria Ragoe, with illustrations by Nat Obour-Awuku, the book was developed to help children better understand cancer and the experience of treatment. It has since been translated and shared with children across Ghana, Malawi, Cameroon, Mexico, Vietnam, Nepal, Myanmar, the Philippines and Bangladesh, reaching young patients in a wide range of settings. 

It reflects the experiences of children living with cancer; missing home, adjusting to hospital life, and building relationships with the people caring for them. For Chikondi, it reflected her own experience of missing her family and friends, navigating the reality of a cancer diagnosis, and finding comfort in the care and kindness of those around her. The book helped her understand what was happening to her, eased her anxiety, and reminded her that she was not facing this journey by herself. 

Chikondi is known by her caregivers to be quite shy. But earlier this year, for International Childhood Cancer Day, she decided to do something that pushed her out of her comfort zone. She wrote a poem, inspired by the story, and chose to read it aloud. 

Original (Chichewa) 

Sindili ndekha mu Chipatala 

Pena ndimakhala wokhumudwa,wodandaula 

ndi osungulumwa popeza ndili mu chipatala. 

Ndikufuna kubwerera,ndikusowa abale anga 

Ndikufuna kubwerera kusukulu,ndikusowa anzanga 

Koma ndili muchipata,akunena kuti ndili ndi nkhansa. 

Nawo Madokotala ndi anamwino akundipasa Mankhwala. 

Makhwala azachosa Khansa ndipo ndizakhala bwino 

Poti sindili ndekha. 

Poti pano sindikudandaula popeza amadam (Play Therapist) ndiwo Chimwemwe 

changa, amayesesa kutisekesa tikamadandaula. 

Nawo madokotala ndi abwino kwambili amandipasa Chimwemwe. 

Poti pano ndikuziwa sindilindekha. 

Sopano ndikuziwa kuti nditha kukhala wosangalala muchipatala ndikunyumba 

chifukwa ndikuziwa sindilindekha. 

Pomaliza ndiloreni malo mwa ana anzanga komanso makolo amene amakhala nafe 

kuthokoza inu Mulungu madokotala, manurse, amipingo, 

Amabungwe (World Child Cancer and others ) ndi ena onse amene mumatithandizila 

ndikutilimbikitsa muchipatala. Mukamatero timaziwa kuti Sitili tokha. 

English Translation 

I am not alone in the hospital 

Sometimes I feel sad and unhappy and lonely.

Because I am in the hospital.

I want to go back home I miss my family

I want to go back to school I miss my friends

But I am here in the hospital

They say I have cancer.

The doctors and nurses are giving me medicine

The medicine will take away the cancer and make me feel better.

Because I am not alone.

Now am no longer sad because the play therapist are the source of my happiness. They

try to make me laugh when I feel sad.

The doctors are also very nice they are also my source of happiness.

Now I know I can be happy in the hospital and at home because I am never alone.

Together with all the children and parents who cares for us we want to thank God, the

doctors, the nurses, churches, non-governmental organization (World Child Cancer and others) and all who helps us in the hospital.

Through that we know we are never alone 

Chikondi’s words capture something many children experience but don’t always say out loud. 

Books like I’m Not Alone don’t change the reality of a diagnosis, but they can make it easier to face. They help children understand what’s happening, give them language for how they feel, and remind them that others have been through something similar. 

This International Children’s Book Day, it feels right to recognise that impact. Not just the books themselves, but what they make possible, for children like Chikondi to feel a little less alone, and, sometimes, to find the confidence to share their own story.

You can read the full book here: I’m Not Alone