A children's book series by Chris Graham
NEEDS A HERO
Helping young children understand chemotherapy — and discover that everyone can be a hero in their own way.
The Series
ABOUT THE BOOKS
Both books in the NEEDS A HERO range are designed to help younger children understand the changes and challenges that a family member may go through when having chemotherapy treatment. To help them understand that everyone can help out and be a hero in their own way.
Grandma Needs a Hero
The first book GRANDMA NEEDS A HERO is based off what my own Mum needed help with when she was going through Chemo and how we helped my young children to understand what was happening to her at the time. While being based around a Grandma, the book is quite easy for children to understand, and that this concept can be applied to any member of the family.
Grandpa Needs a Hero
The second book GRANDPA NEEDS A HERO is the same concept as the other book but the ways in which Grandpa may need help. This book is also designed to be related to everyone not just a Grandpa. This book talks about Grandpa being a retired Firefighter as that is the most cancerous job in the world and I wanted to shed light on the on going sacrifices that Firefighters knowingly make to serve their communities.
GRANDMA NEEDS A HERO is written as a legacy for Sue Graham. Profits from both books will be donated to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
The Author
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Welcome to NEEDS A HERO, my name is Chris Graham. I am a Firefighter from Melbourne, Victoria. In 2020 Sue Graham passed away. She was known as Grandma to my two boys. While she was going through treatment we looked around for some books to help my boys understand what was happening to their beloved Grandma. Unable to find anything, Mum wrote her own very personal and overly technical book for the boys. She couldn't help using her Nursing terminology. The idea stuck with me and after a few years I decided the best way to keep her legacy alive was to actually write a children's book.
On May 4th 2026, which is International Firefighter day, I released my second book GRANDPA NEEDS A HERO.
There are more books on the way with similar themes based on different family members, so it will be even easier for the children to connect with the scenarios. Keep an eye out for these soon.
Purchase
WHERE TO ORDER
As I have self-published this book there is limited ways to purchase at the moment. For the paperback versions of both books, they are only available on AMAZON.
The hardcovers are $25AUD — profits go to cancer research
If you are in Australia, you can order through me by emailing below or DM through social media pages. This will take longer as I need to have the copies on hand plus time to pack and post. The plus side of this way is that it means I am able to donate more to research as less fees are involved.
International
International DistributionCONTACT
To contact me for an order or to give feedback on the book click below. Please let me know any positive stories or feedback you have. This is a project of love and if it helps even one family it's all worth it!
Thank you from Needs A Hero