A brain tumour patient has had her first book published at the age of nine. Out Of The Woods by Betsy Griffin was released through HarperCollins this month and contains powerful lessons about positivity, kindness and hope.
Betsy was just two when she was diagnosed with a low-grade optic nerve glioma. The diagnosis came after she developing nystagmus, a condition that causes involuntary eye movements.
The youngster, who is now blind, went through 18 months of chemotherapy before having a biopsy. She remains on targeted treatment today and requires lifelong hormone replacements.
During lockdown 2020, Betsy, of Chorleywood in Hertfordshire, persuaded her parents Rochelle and Stuart to help her set up her own YouTube channel "to spread positivity".
Her inspirational videos, which have featured such things as songs, exercises and meditations, proved a hit. She became a YouTube star, with subscribers for Betsy’s Positive Videos having reached more than 4,700.
Next, she decided to create a book and managed to get Sheryl Shurville, the owner of Chorleywood Bookshop, onboard. Sheryl contacted Bev James Management and Literary Agency, which collaborated with Betsy to turn her book into a modern-day collection of fables.
Rochelle, a secondary school teacher, said: “Betsy’s not one for sitting and doing nothing. She’s always busking outside or writing a story or creating a show.
“When she decided she wanted to start creating YouTube videos to spread positivity, we thought it would be a good project to keep her busy. When she said she wanted to create a book to put on the shelves in our local bookshop, I explained it didn’t work like that as you had to get a book published.
"Betsy strolled into the bookshop full of charisma and the owner knew her from her YouTube videos and said ‘yes’. 'She got Bev James involved, who was very engaged and said we could make it work, then HarperCollins said ‘yes’ and it all just snowballed from there."
Out Of The Woods is the story of a girl who gets lost and befriends a dog. With her new canine pal by her side she eventually finds and is reunited with her family - but not before encountering a host of animals, all of whom have positive lessons to share.
The book contains a foreword by broadcaster Fearne Cotton, who went to the same school as Rochelle and is one of her cousin’s best friends. It is available in print, braille and audio, with Fearne having also recorded the audio version.
Rochelle said: "It was really important to make it accessible. There was no point making a book Betsy couldn’t access, or other children like her."
She added: “It’s like Betsy’s disability has become her superpower. She’s got something about her; she can’t explain it and we can’t either, but it’s there.
"We’re really proud of her and when we get personal messages saying the book’s helped someone, that means so much.”
Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, a charity Betsy and her family have long supported, said: “Betsy’s a special girl with an infectiously positive personality. There seems to be no limit to what she can achieve, and we remain completely in awe of her.
“She’s also a great advocate for our charity, helping to raise awareness of the fact one in three people know someone affected by a brain tumour, yet, historically, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease."
To find out more got to the Brain Tumour Research website.
