During the process of fundraising for the Foggy Frog and the Pain Gang picture book I was introduced to many exciting and wonderful people. One of these people was Elizabeth Christy from The Potomac Falls Mama and Parents with Pain. Elizabeth is an amazing woman doing many wonderful things for her local and the global community. Elizabeth has also written a book that was originally to help her son understand what she was going through. This book, Why does Mommy hurt?, was recently published and I have got my hands on both the eBook and print copy of the book.

This book is perfect for anyone living with any chronic pain condition that has children in their life. Although written about ‘mommy’ the concepts and messages can be applied to anyone with chronic pain.

After the story, Elizabeth has also provided information on further resources and activities you can do with your children on high pain days. This definitely adds to the value of the story.

Elizabeth has clearly explained the issues and concepts that children need to be aware of when they are trying to cope with a family member (or even friend) who has a chronic pain condition. The story is told from the point of view of the young boy so children can easily follow.

The illustrations are simple, but add to the story line and help clarify some of the points raised in the text. James Miller (Elizabeth’s father) has done a fantastic job illustrating the book.

I was slightly disappointed with the quality of the paperback version of the book. For me the pages feel too thin and flimsy, and while I like the matte finish of the internal pages the cover is too glossy for me (it reflects the light when I’m looking at it). However, the content of the book make up for these very minor disappointments.

Also, being based in Australia, the spelling (American) is somewhat frustrating for me, for example ‘mommy’ instead of ‘mummy’ (again a very minor issue). It would be great if in the future (when the book is a success) a separate version could be created for the Australian/UK market.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone suffering from a chronic pain condition who have children in their life. It is a great way of explaining the issues and involving the children in your life in a way that doesn’t impact on your health or leave them upset for not being able to interact with you. It is also a great companion book for Foggy Frog and the Pain Gang when we get that available for you too.

Well done Elizabeth! You have done an amazing job with this book and I’m looking forward to the launch in July. I’m also looking forward to working with you on projects in the future.

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