13 DIAMONDS Life Before Death from a Child’s Perspective
by Manon Rinsma

…Life is too short to delay or regret, now is the time to live… My circumstances created a fighter – a way of life to always pursue dreams…

There are everlasting loves that continue to exist after death do us part. I lost my always-loving mother when I was 12 years old to brain cancer. A battle we could not win. This is my voice, my story – from a child’s perspective.

13 DIAMONDS – Life Before Death From A Child’s Perspective is a story about family. It is about hope and all beautiful life has to offer, until the inevitable strikes and a brain tumor the size of a tennis ball made itself at home, intruding in the happy lives of a loving family. 13 Diamonds portrays the feelings and views of a young girl who witnessed her mother, the brightest, most beautiful woman she knew, slowly die – taken by this horrific form of cancer. It is about strength, life, death, beauty, grief, and most importantly, it is a story about love.

“Manon Rinsma, MSc – a well-traveled, adventurous millennial with a lot of invisible baggage, refused to become a victim of her circumstances. By helping people understand the experience of losing a parent from a 12-year old’s perspective she hopes to give insight and support to prevent others from missing out on valuable time.”

“Love to write, Live to coordinate, Looking to Inspire.” – Manon Rinsma-Leonard, MSc.