It was all part of the Brave Maeve story Joanne created for her daughter to help the then-three-year-old understand her diagnosis and treatment of Burkitt’s Lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer that affects the lymph nodes.
In the story, Maeve is a warrior princess who has a poisonous stone growing inside her. To defeat the stone, brave soldiers had to fight evil ones, which sometimes made funny things happen to Maeve - her hair fell out, and her favourite foods tasted strange.
“Maeve was going through this princess stage where she loved wearing tiaras and every skirt had to spin,” says Joanne. So Maeve would go to chemotherapy wearing a tiara and carrying a princess sceptre, while Joanne and her husband would decorate the two IV poles by her side.
Later, the Brave Maeve story would be translated into over seven languages and shipped to childhood cancer related organisations in more than 14 countries all over the world.
While Joanne’s Brave Maeve story helped her daughter cope, the drama teacher relied on a support network that included family, friends and ex-students. They ran errands, performed for Maeve on her birthday, and delivered her favourite home-cooked food such as fried chicken.
“Maeve didn’t eat a day of hospital food,” says Joanne, who now advises other caregivers that it is alright to ask for help when you need it.
She adds: “The experience of caring for a child with cancer can be isolating. You are already going through so much, and you don’t need to do everything alone.”