ESSEX, Md. — At just 10 years old, John Wandishin was diagnosed with adult leukemia.
Shortly after he received a bone marrow transplant.
His oldest sister was the perfect match, but the treatment was short-lived.
"He had relapsed, so it was only 8 months of like normalcy," says Kathy Wandishin.
After he relapsed the family returned to John's Hopkins Hospital to learn what their options were.
"We had another transplant, Krissy again was his donor, and that began four years of up and down up and down."
John went on to live longer than doctors or anyone expected him to, and through those years he chose to remain happy.
"As the years rolled by we did what we could, we had fun as a family, we took trips, we did as much as we could to celebrate that he was with us," says Kathy.
John stayed in school, graduating in the 8th grade and going on to Archbishop Curly High School, living as close to a normal life as possible despite the physical challenges he was experiencing.
But then when his health began to decline further, John and his family knew the end of his life was near.
So he made a bucket list, and the family worked to check off everything on the list they could.
He died in 2005, just before his 16th birthday, and decades later, his mom crossed off one more thing on that list.
"I kind of forgot that it was on his bucket list, and for 20 years, I had this nag, write that book, write that book, and I'm like, I don't know how to write a book. I hated creative writing. I just don't know how to write a book," says Kathy
She says once she started writing she couldn't stop.
"It was something I felt absolutely called to do to honor my son but also to give help to people who have lost someone special. But especially those parents who have lost a child because there is nothing like that," Kathy said.
In those 200 pages, she shares the ups and downs the entire family faced.
She also uncovers the deeper meaning of life, faith, and resilience, lessons she hopes readers will learn.
She also hopes people who read the book will learn to, "Find the gratitude in everything because it's there. it's just that we have to change our minds and the way it thinks," says Kathy.
Kathy says because John lived his life happily and with courage and love, he changed the family forever, and she is able to honor him with this book.
"He lives on in all of us, he lives on in the book now, and hopefully he will live on in the hearts of the people who read the book," she says.
Kathy named the book Climbing The Rainbow because when John passed the next morning there was a rainbow coming out from behind the family's home.
