happy faces only

Haley was born perfectly healthy, but her world-and that of her family-changed drastically seventeen months later when she became a patient. Her family embarked on a journey filled with medical twists and turns, incredible joys, and shattering sorrows. Follow their journey from beginning to end, focusing on the waves of the abundant middle. This is a story of the evolution of a family and the compassionate care and support they received both from those expected to offer it, and from so many other more surprising participants. It is, at its core, an unforgettable love story, an unforgettable life story. happy faces only is not simply a book title, but one little girl’s approach to living.

Author Biography

Karen Klak is the mother of four children who became unexpectedly immersed in the medical world when her daughter Haley was a toddler. She hasn’t left, spending years as a volunteer sharing her lived experiences in health care with professional and student audiences, and currently working in Patient and Family Centred Care, supporting others as they share their stories. Karen also co-facilitates a grief support group for parents who have lost a child to pediatric cancer or cancer-related illness. She is drawn to deep and meaningful storytelling and is honoured to relay her family’s journey in happy faces only. Karen lives in Edmonton, Canada where walking and bike riding in the spectacular river valley bring her joy, and she treasures time spent with her husband and young adult children. Happy Faces Only is her first book.