The work of artist Nanci Hersh has always been a reflection of her experiences, from balancing her role as artist and mother to coming to terms with illness. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002, and one of her etchings was later selected as a centerpiece of the first annual “Art of Survival” exhibit in 2004 in West Long Branch.

Now, a year after she was pronounced cancer-free in 2005, she has decided to return to the theme of cancer and survival, this time illustrating a book for children who are coping with the cancer of a loved one.

Butterfly Kisses and Wishes on Wings: When Someone You Love Has Cancer, was written by Ellen McVicker, a Colorado resident who is also Hersh’s cousin.

Published last October, it is about to enter its second printing. Hersh and McVicker financed the production of the first 1,250 copies; promoted the book with a series of press releases, book signings, and other public appearances; and were primarily responsible for all marketing and distribution efforts.

As word spread, copies of Butterfly Kisses were requested by individuals, medical facilities, and cancer support groups throughout the country.

“Creating this book was a labor of love, and people who believed in our project have helped bring the book to those who need it,” said Hersh. “We don’t have a huge publishing house behind us, but people who have seen the book have been touched by it and have helped to put it into circulation.”

When McVicker, a special-education teacher, first proposed that Hersh illustrate the book, the Middletown resident wasn’t ready to assume the task. Memories of how her own cancer diagnosis and treatment affected her husband, Scott, and sons Griffin, now age nine, and Nate, now seven, were vivid and painful.

But those memories eventually fueled her desire to show children the ways a parent’s life can suddenly veer off course — and assure them that it’s nobody’s fault when those circumstances begin to play a dominant role in the lives of the family members.

“When a parent becomes ill with a potentially life-threatening disease, everything in your environment starts to change, and the changes can be quick and severe,” Hersh said. “The person who is diagnosed is trying to process and comprehend these changes — and then you have to find a way to talk to your children about a set of circumstances that you, yourself, can barely understand.”

Butterfly Kisses is intended to make that process a little easier, she added. Images of a soaring butterfly are seen throughout the 42 pages of the book, which is narrated from a child’s perspective. The text is simple and direct.
“Some people may need something called radiation,” the child narrator says, after learning that his mother has cancer. “Mom said that radiation is this beam of light that the doctor uses to kill the bad cancer cells. It’s kind of like my toy laser sword.”

The book also explains how the child can help; for example, he can bring his mother a glass of water, even if some water spills out of the glass; play with his younger brother so Mom can take a nap; get dressed by himself, even if his clothing choices don’t quite match; use crayons to draw Mom a picture; and read her a story that will make her smile.

The result is a child who feels more empowered and who has not been excluded from his mother’s journey through a new time and place, Hersh said.

Many of Hersh’s drawings, prints, and mixed media works have been shown in venues throughout New York and New Jersey, including the art gallery at the Ruth Hyman Jewish Community Center in Deal in October 2005.

Butterfly Kisses is a continuation of her efforts to help women with breast cancer and their families.

Three years ago, she created an etching and aquatint of a chrysalis that adorns all literature, advertisements, invitations, and other printed material of the Diney Goldsmith Breast Cancer Research and Education Foundation. The foundation was created in 2004 by Dr. Beth M. Deutch, who was one of Hersh’s doctors. It is named for the late Diney Goldsmith, a Rumson resident and artist who was also one of Deutch’s breast cancer patients, as well as her personal friend.

Hersh has also served as a curator for the foundation-sponsored Art of Survival, a Monmouth County-based arts and events program that raises awareness and funds for breast cancer research and education. Butterfly Kisses was one of the new initiatives funded by last October’s Art of Survival event (an Olivia Newton John concert at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank).

Although Hersh said she plans to continue her artistic and outreach efforts on behalf of women and families coping with breast cancer, the effort constantly requires her to draw upon her own inner strength and the support of her family.

“Illustrating this book wasn’t easy for me,” she said. “It brought back memories of when I had to tell my husband and children about my diagnosis. And then there was our collective journey through my illness. But I was one of the fortunate ones, and I decided it was time to give something back. And then something occurred that I didn’t expect — the project brought my healing to a brand-new level.”