Shining Through: Caledon woman’s book made to inspire

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 

A Caledon woman has written a book about her journey as a mom with a daughter with special needs. 

Liana Cancian recently released “Shining Through” at an April 16 launch event at The Exchange in Bolton. 

Cancian and her husband have four children. Their 17-year-old daughter, Olivia, has a rare genetic seizure disorder and lives through having seizures every day.

“The book is about her life… from when she was born to getting the diagnosis and then all the things we have experienced,” said Cancian.

Cancian and her family have tried so many different things to help treat her daughter's seizures — sadly, nothing has been successful.

A major theme in Cancian's book is learning to accept the unacceptable and balancing gratitude and grief. At her book launch, Cancian spoke a lot about coexisting with grief and finding silver linings in glimmers of hope.

“For Olivia, it's nature. When she's outside in nature she shines through and becomes happier,” said Cancian. “When she's with the right caregiver, she radiates. Music is also big for her, music is a gateway to her happiness.”

Olivia's eyes are something that people have always noticed, said Cancian. 

“Every teacher that's ever worked with her, every therapist… has always said her eyes are the gateway to her soul,” she said. “It's our way of seeing how she really feels.”

Cancian said one of the most rewarding parts of sharing her and her family's story is that she's hearing people become inspired by it. 

“It's about hope… putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward, hoping for a better tomorrow,” said Cancian.

The cover of Cancian's book was designed by her 11-year-old daughter, Lauren. The cover features a picture of a brain — one half of which is grey, the other which is illuminated in a rainbow of colour. Symbols in the cover art relate to the many different experiences in Olivia's life. The grey side represents all the struggles Olivia and her family have been through, while the rainbow-coloured side represents all of the beautiful and amazing moments they have shared.

The brain is held by hands, which represent all of the people that have worked with and supported Olivia and her family. The cover also features a butterfly, which symbolizes Cancian's wish for her daughter to live a life free from seizures.

Cancian has always loved writing. She keeps a journal and has always enjoyed writing poems and letters to her family. Until Shining Through, however, she had never written a book. She decided to write her book to inspire other families in similar situations to keep moving forward. Another reason Cancian wrote her book was to leave a legacy for her children, sharing what her parenting journey is like and giving them inspiration.

Cancian decided to host her book launch at The Exchange as she's a long-time Caledon Community Services (CCS) volunteer and she used to be a CCS employee. She said the launch was a full house, with many friends, family, caregivers and more attending.

“It was very exhilarating and at the same time terrifying,” said Cancian, adding that she really enjoyed talking with people at the event.

Cancian said she wanted to thank her publisher, Andrea Seydel, who played a big role in bringing her book to life. 

Cancian's book is available online on Amazon and locally at Forster's Book Garden in Bolton. A portion of all the sales from Cancian's book launch on April 16 went to CCS' Kidz in Caledon initiative.