Sir Sean; A Knight's Tale of Courage
Lebanon residents Beth and Troy Putman have released a children’s book inspired by the six-and-a-half-year battle their son Sean fought courageously before losing his life to Ewing Sarcoma in 2005 at the age of 8.
Titled “Sir Sean: A Knight’s Tale of Courage,” the plot of this colorfully illustrated book and not-for-profit project involves a youthful knight who clashes with a ferocious dragon.
“The concept for the young knight came from Sean’s buddy Gibson Carney. They went to school together at Southside Elementary School,” said Troy. “Gibson did the little book not long after Sean passed away.”
“According to Gibson’s mom, Shannon, this was his way of grieving the loss of his young friend. Gibson and his mom wrote the story. Phil Parkerson and Kim Gregg illustrated the story. It was only one copy called ‘Sir Sean: The Little Knight,’ and they presented this special gift to us,” said Beth.
Troy elaborated, “Beth and I took this concept and put words into a little story. We would like to see this book in the hands of every child that finds themselves in the emergency room or one who might be in a scary place, anxious or afraid. Hopefully this is something that might encourage them when nothing else can. With Sean, you always knew he was strong, and he maintained a smile even in his battles.
“Sean was always smiling, and every time you asked him how he was doing he would always say, ‘I’m good,’ and that smile was always there. So that’s kind of where the story came from. He was always brave, and his courage inspired us,” said Beth.
“The smiling knight was our original idea and that’s really our image of him, thank goodness,” added Troy. “There are some bad images there (during his illness). There are memories that we think about and are hard for us to forget. Sean getting treatment and how he looked and felt, and oh, he felt bad at times, but he always maintained a very optimistic spirit.
“Sir Sean fights a dragon that is heaping darkness and worry on the people. The story is a little spiritual as well. It’s about a king who wants all his subjects to be protected and cared for. The only way he would know they were free from all those fears and worries was if they had smiles on their faces. The king provided that with Sir Sean, the youngest of all the knights.”
Beth said, “As for talking about cancer and dying, for a child, we didn’t want the book to be scary. So, there is a dark place in the book. You often hear, ‘We may have lost the battle, but in the end, we know the war has already been won,’ we get the kingdom at the end. That’s the positive message we want to share.
“I can think of a child that is in a broken home, or his parents are going through a divorce, and here he is thinking ‘I can deal with this and get through it.’ Our purpose is to get the book in front of people that might benefit from it. Again, it’s hard to make that unpleasant ending into a positive message, but that is our intention.”
The Putmans dedicated the book to a number of health-care professionals including the oncology nurses at Vanderbilt’s Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital where their family spent long hours across a span of six-and-a-half years.
(Note: The Rein In Sarcoma website describes Ewings Sarcoma as a tumor that arises from immature bone cells, but can also occur outside the bone in cartilage, nerves, or soft tissue. It’s the second-most common type of bone cancer, behind osteosarcoma, and most often occurs in children and young adults between the ages of 10 and 20 and found mostly in males.)
Beth said, “I envision sharing this book with children on the oncology floor at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. How we make that happen, we’re not sure yet. Giving the book to kids that come in through the emergency room is our most immediate goal.”
Expressing more about the 24-page book, Troy concluded, “It’s not a religious book by any means, but you know Sir Sean is reminded of the king’s charge to protect, guard and win this battle
for the kingdom. We’re fighting evil, and we’re doing it in a positive way. He shows courage and bravery, and at the end darkness was defeated. And the king knew everybody was happy. How? Because they had a smile on their face.”
“Sir Sean: A Knight’s Tale of Courage” is available online at Sirseanbook.com. The cost is $20.
For many years the Sean Putman Memorial Golf Tournament has assisted Cumberland University students via the Sean Putman Memorial Scholarship Fund. It has raised over $400,000 and helped more than 40 students with tuition and books.