Possum’s Heart

I don’t normally post a work-in-progress on here, but considering the circumstances, I thought it was only appropriate to share my new picture book, Possum’s Heart. Possum, is of course my almost 4-year-old son who will be having open heart surgery in the next 3-8 weeks. We didn’t know there was anything wrong with his heart up until a week ago, so it’s all happened very quickly! The prognosis for him is excellent, however we still have to go through the trauma of open heart surgery. He’s old enough to know something is happening. My concern is for his emotional state; I figure the surgeons have the physical stuff covered. This book is my way of preparing him for what lies ahead. (For full details of the situation, please visit my parenting blog, Big and Brave.) 

We’re going to join an organisation called HeartKids that is for kids just like Possum. I’m sure there are many other kids who would benefit from a book like this one. If you know anyone with kids going through a similar thing, please feel free to share this with them. I’m hoping I might be able to find an illustrator who would be willing to do some very quick rough drawings for me so Possum can have a real ‘book’ to read in the lead up to his surgery. If you can help I’d love to hear from you!  But first, here’s a picture of my Possum, dressed in appropriate gear don’t you think??

 

Possum’s Heart

 Once upon a time in a tall gum tree, lived a little possum. Possum liked to climb trees, jump higher than the moon and do all the things that possums do.

One day Possum got sick. He was tired and grumpy. He coughed and sneezed. He didn’t feel like climbing trees or jumping higher than the moon. He just felt miserable. His mummy put him to straight to bed and called the doctor.

 The doctor looked in Possum’s soft, little ears, peered down Possum’s slippery throat and felt all over Possum’s furry tummy. Then he took a stethoscope, put it on his fuzzy chest and listened to Possum’s possumy heart.

Lub-whizz-gurgle-gurgle!

Lub-whizz-gurgle-gurgle!

 “Aha!” said the doctor. “That’s the problem! A possum’s heart should go lub-dub-lub-dub-lub-dub but your heart is going lub-whizz-gurgle-gurgle-dub, lub-whizz-gurgle-gurgle-dub. Here, have a listen.”

 And so Possum listened and sure enough his heart was going lub-whizz-gurgle-gurgle-dub, lub-whizz-gurgle-gurgle-dub, just like the doctor said.

“Never mind,” said the doctor with a smile. “We possum doctors know just what to do. We can fix your heart, Possum, and make it go lub-dub-lub-dub-lub-dub again. And when it does, you will grow up big and strong and climb trees, jump higher than the moon and do all the things that possums do.”

Possum was glad the doctor could make his heart go lub-dub again. He very much wanted to grow up big and strong and climb trees, jump higher than the moon and do all the things that possums do.
And so Possum went to hospital to have open heart surgery. He put on a funny hospital gown, a funny hospital hat and some funny hospital shoes. Possum’s mummy held him close and sang to him while the doctors gave him special medicine to make him sleep.

While Possum slept, the doctors went inside his fuzzy chest and fixed his leaky, possumy heart.

Lub-whizz-gurgle-gurgle-dub.

Lub-whizz-gurgle-gurgle-dub.

Lub-dub-lub-dub-lub-dub.

When Possum woke up, his mummy and daddy were beside his bed. He saw lots of machines with brights lights and buttons and his chest felt a bit funny. There was a big bandage over the place where the doctors had fixed his heart. He was still very sleepy but he had something important to ask. “Is my heart going lub-dub-lub-dub-lub-dub?”

 “Yes, Possum” said Mummy. “Your heart is going lub-dub-lub-dub-lub-dub, just like it should. Now you get some rest.”

Possum stayed in hospital for the next few days. His mummy and daddy stayed with him while the doctors and nurses looked at his fuzzy chest, took his temperature and made sure he was getting better.

Every day, Possum got special food on a tray for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There were little biscuits in packets and drinks with a straw and even some red, wobbly jelly. Possum liked eating in the hospital.

He watched TV and played games with Mummy and read books with Daddy. Possum liked playing in the hospital.

And he had lots of visitors who brought him balloons and presents and get well wishes. Possum liked to tell them all about how his heart used to go lub-whizz-gurgle-gurgle-dub but now it went lub-dub-lub-dub-lub-dub. Then he’d show them the line on his chest where the doctors fixed his leaky, possumy heart.

And so Possum went home and grew up big and strong. He climbed the tallest trees, jumped higher than the moon and did all the things that possums do. And inside his fuzzy chest, his possumy heart went lub-dub-lub-dub-lub-dub, just like it should.