The Making of I Had A Tumor, It Wasn’t A Rumor

THIS BOOK REPRESENTS ENERGY, INSPIRATION, AND DONATIONS FROM MANY WONDERFUL AND CARING INDIVIDUALS

I Had a Tumor, It Wasn’t a Rumor is the story of our son Ross’s triumph over Burkitt’s Lymphoma, a rare form of cancer. When Ross was diagnosed with cancer at age 6, our world fell apart and the ensuing 8 months of chemotherapy were the most terrifying days and nights of our lives. As Ross struggled through chemo and began to re-enter life, a healing story emerged that yearned to be told, to allow our family to heal and give other families the inspiration to face their own healing journey. Ross’s indomitable spirit and positive attitude seemed to inspire others to appreciate their lives, their families, and their own daily challenges.

In the fall of 1999, at age 13, Ross was invited to be the luncheon speaker at the annual meeting of the Wisconsin State American Cancer Society. This book, I Had a Tumor, It Wasn’t a Rumor, began as the edited script from that presentation. The original version was created on our computer in 1999 as a Christmas gift, given to family and friends who had supported us during Ross’s treatment.

In the fall of 2000, thanks to generous donations from Menasha Corporation and the Appleton Golden “K” Kiwanis, we were able to print 300 copies of Ross’s story for distribution to families with a child recently diagnosed with cancer.

As the number of books in our hall closet dwindled, we brainstormed ways to keep this project alive. We became a non-profit organization, The Ross Romenesko Team, Ltd., dedicated to sharing Ross’s story of hope with other families battling childhood cancer. A post-card campaign raised more than $5000, allowing us to move forward with the project. We hired a graphic designer and updated the format, including new sections with reflections from family members and a template where patients and their families can tell their own healing story.

Last November the updated version of I Had a Tumor, It Wasn’t a Rumor, was chosen as the official book for the UW-Children’s Hospital-Kids With Courage III pediatric cancer survivors’ reunion in Madison Wisconsin. The vice-president of the University of Wisconsin Foundation loved the book, loved the project and, thanks to his support and numerous endowments from the UW, an incredible 15,000 copies were printed, approximately the number of children diagnosed annually in the United States. Wow! We still can’t believe it. Tina, Ross’s mom, has been working on a distribution plan and is presently piloting the project with national board members of the Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers board. It is a dream come true to know that families are receiving hope in the form of Ross’s story.

We are pleased to provide I Had a Tumor, It Wasn’t a Rumor as a PDF file on this website, making it accessible to more families in need. If you would like to receive a hard copy of the book, for yourself or someone you love who is dealing with a cancer diagnosis, please contact us at Romy96@aol.com. It is our intention to offer families hope as they begin to tell the most important story, their own journey through cancer.