Walking through the woods...
Lucia and the Bone Marrow Circus
Summary
Created as a collaborative VIX project within the SyBBURE Undergraduate Searle Program, this story centers on Lucia, a young Hispanic girl newly diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Using a circus as a narrative metaphor, the project explores how imaginative storytelling can help children and families engage with difficult medical realities while holding space for resilience and hope.
Excerpt
At the hospital, her mamá held her hand tight.
The doctors explained:
Inside Lucía's bone marrow was a circus where blood cells performed every day.
Living inside the bone's spongy middle, red blood cell acrobats—like Doña Oxígeno—fly through hoops delivering air to every corner of her body.
And, platelet tightrope walkers—Capitán Plaqueta and friends— who keep bleeding from cuts and scrapes in balance.
And the white blood cells—Guardia Blanca— who stand at the gates, ready to fight off invaders.
But something had gone wrong.
A bunch of silly, wild white blood cell clowns had crashed the show.
Los Payasitos Locos had arrived. They were supposed to grow up into strong guards—but they didn't.
They couldn't juggle, bumped into others, and made messes everywhere.
Process
The project began with research into acute myeloid leukemia and collaborative story development. Early mockups were created to shape pacing and tone, and the book is currently being illustrated using hand-cut, collaged paper inspired by Eric Carle. The team is enjoying the slow, tactile process of building each page by hand and hopes to share the finished book in the near future.