Local author at Tatnuck Saturday Dec. 1

'Hope, Faith and Charlie' chronicles one child's recovery from cancer
By Ken Powers Contributing Writer

(l to r) Charlie Capodanno, Deirdre Carey and Jay Capodanno gather in the living room of their home. Carey has written about Charlie's recovery from brain cancer, diagnosed when he was 6 months old, in the book "Hope, Faith and Charlie." KEN POWERS

Westborough - As festive as the holiday season seems for just about everybody, it's a little more joy-filled for Deirdre Carey.

For the seventh straight December, every time she sees her son Charlie racing around their home, Carey will know in her heart, without a doubt, that everything she could possibly want she already has.

In December 2000, when everyone else was preparing for the first Christmas of the new millennium, Carey was readying herself for what she believed would be her last with her younger son, who wasn't even 2-1/2.

Twenty-two months earlier, when he was just 6 months old, Charlie Capodanno had been diagnosed with Choroid Plexus Carcinoma, a form of brain cancer so rare that fewer than 10 children are diagnosed with it each year.

At his diagnosis, Charlie was given less than a 10-percent chance of survival, but despite the long odds, he has done more than survive: he is thriving.

Today, Charlie is a typical healthy, happy elementary school student. Like many of his classmates, he celebrated the Red Sox winning the World Series, wonders if the Patriots will win another Super Bowl, and only recently began asking his mother what the word "cancer" means.

"Charlie is living proof to me and my family that miracles do happen," Carey said. "I'd tell you he wasn't given much of a chance to survive, but even 'not much' would be overstating it. The doctors at Dana Farber said he had Stage 4 brain cancer - and there isn't a stage 5. It was so bad they never used the word 'live' when discussing his condition."

While Carey did many things while her son was sick, including pray, she also kept a journal and chronicled the odyssey in writing.

The result is "Hope, Faith and Charlie," a 390-page book that delves into the devotion and perseverance of Carey and her family during the ordeal.

"I wrote the book to keep a promise," Carey said. "I promised God that if he let Charlie live I would write about the ordeal, about our experience, and I would help others who have to go through something so dire."

Carey will be at Tatnuck Bookseller, Gift Gallery and Café Saturday Dec. 1 at 11 a.m., signing copies of her book and telling stories about the path of Charlie's recovery.

"This book is about so many things and for so many people," Carey said. "It's about Charlie, of course, but it's also about how great a brother Jay has been, and how good our immediate and extended family has been. It's about how giving people are when they find out what you're going through."

Carey said her religious faith is a big part of the book, too.

"You can't go through something like this and not have your faith tested," Carey said. "There were many times, many days that I explained to God that I was not nearly as strong a person as he thought I was.

"You carry on because you have to," Carey said. "No matter how you feel, you can't give up. I had a sick little boy looking to me for help and I had another one looking to me to reassure him everything was going to be okay."

For Carey and her sons, it is. Especially at this time of year.