Cardinal inspires Beach author’s children’s book on dealing with family cancer diagnosis

By JULIA SAWICKI

After her brother’s cancer diagnosis, Daniela Lockie’s world came to a halt. She was just a little girl, burdened with emotions she didn’t understand, grappling with confusion, fear, anger, sadness, and a strange guilt she couldn’t quite place.

“Some people would ask me if I was OK, and I’d say, ‘Yeah, I’m OK,’ because what do you say as a little kid when you see your loved one going through something so hard?”

 There’s no guidebook on how a child should feel when someone they love is sick. That need was what inspired Lockie to create Red: My Northern Cardinal, a self published children’s book dedicated to the forgotten sibling of a child battling cancer.

The story follows a young girl named Dani, who is watching her brother’s cancer journey, struggling to adjust to the changes within her family. One night, a little talking cardinal appears outside her window. The bird, named Red, guides her through her family’s journey, helping her navigate the pain and confusion she feels. With the help of Red, she learns that whatever happens, her feelings matter too, and she has the strength and love of her family to help her get through the hard times. 

Originally from Peru, Lockie came to Canada for university before settling in the Beach with her husband. Now a mother of two, she faces cancer again; this time with her father’s diagnosis. While looking at her own children, she realized how young she herself was when she felt like she had to be strong. After years of working in marketing, Lockie decided that she wanted to create the book she wished she had when her brother was sick.

“I needed to do something for the kids, to tell them that if they’re going through something like that, it’s OK to feel everything that they’re feeling,” she said.

The inspiration for Red emerged out of a literal run-in with a bird at Tommy Thompson Park. The encounter came at a crucial time after her father was diagnosed. Lockie was out for a jog when she saw her cardinal for the first time, sparking the inspiration for the story’s feathered sidekick.

“A lot of people say that that’s my bird. When my dad had been diagnosed with cancer, I was thinking I needed a sign that everything’s going to be OK. And then I saw the cardinal,” she explained.

Lockie wrote and illustrated the short story. She said it started out as writing different thoughts, and remembering how she felt during that chapter of her life and the questions she had.

She called the beginning writing process, “like a journal.” Jotting down these ideas became healing for her as well. The negative emotions she pushed aside became crucial as she allowed herself to feel. As a child, Lockie was angry about her brother’s diagnosis and death and “now I have to be angry again.”

But focusing on the positive, on the cardinal, helped her realize that something good could come out of the grief. “I started thinking that maybe if I transform this, maybe I can feel a little bit better,” said Lockie.

After cost, 100 per cent of the royalties from Red: My Northern Cardinal, are going towards organizations supporting children with cancer and their families.

Lockie is hoping to help those going through what she and her family experienced, becoming an advocate and voice for the children that need it. The book’s instagram page (@redthestory) posted a quote, “When a child has cancer, their siblings feel it too.”

That is exactly what Lockie wants to remind readers. Her goal is to create a support tool for parents and kids coping with childhood cancer, finding ways to guide families through discussing these feelings, and processing the complicated emotions as a family.

“While this is something that is happening to a loved one, in a way it’s also happening to the kid. They need to be supported and be free to feel how he or she feels,” she said.

Red: My Northern Cardinal is currently being sold on Amazon, and through the books website. Lockie has also published a Spanish language version of the book titled Mi Cardinal Nortino Red.

For more information on Red: My Northern Cardinal, please visit https://www.redthestory.com/