Mari Mitchelson is a cancer survivor, mother, grandmother, and founder of Bound For a Cure Publishing—a mission-driven brand created to support children and families navigating serious illness.

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What began as what she thought was a simple illness quickly became a life-changing diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. In an instant, Mari was taken from her everyday life—her children, their sports, her friends, her tennis team, her career—and placed into a hospital bed for nearly a year.

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During that time, Mari began writing as a way to process the emotions of being suddenly removed from everything she loved. Her stories were born from real experiences—what it felt like to face the unknown, to lose control, and to find strength in the most unexpected ways.

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The Secret Side of Being Bald was inspired by her own experience with hair loss—something she surprisingly never felt bad about. Instead, she found confidence, strength, and even a sense of empowerment in it.

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Get Down, Dr. Brown was written as a tribute to the doctors and nurses who became her world during treatment. They were more than caregivers—they were her social life, her confidants, and her friends. Their compassion, energy, and dedication left a lasting impact, and she remains deeply grateful for the role they played in saving her life.

Although the stories are written through the voice of a child, that voice came naturally. Inspired by a lifelong love of storytelling—especially the rhythm and imagination of Dr. Seuss—Mari found a way to express complex experiences in a simple, comforting, and approachable way.

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Years later, Mari returned to the same hospital—not as a patient, but holding her newborn granddaughter. That full-circle moment continues to fuel her purpose and her mission.

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Today, Mari donates her books to local children’s hospitals in the Portland area, with a goal of one day reaching children across the country. Her hope is that each child receives a book early in their diagnosis—before entering the hospital—so they can better understand what lies ahead and feel a sense of comfort from the very beginning.

Her mission is simple: to ensure no child faces illness without support, reassurance, and hope.

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Our Vision

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Looking ahead, Bound for a Cure is committed to expanding beyond a single author platform into a trusted publishing space for stories that support children facing health challenges. Our goal is to collaborate with authors who share a similar approach—offering lighthearted, relatable storytelling that resonates with children and families without feeling overly clinical. We plan to partner with writers whose work has been thoughtfully vetted by respected pediatric professionals, ideally within specialties such as oncology and related fields.

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Just as important, we aim to create a space that is simple and comforting for families to navigate—bringing everything together in one place, with a variety of thoughtfully curated options to choose from. By doing so, Bound for a Cure hopes to build a meaningful collection of books that provide comfort, understanding, and a sense of connection for children and their families during challenging times.

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*Mari is passionate about sharing these stories and is actively seeking media opportunities to help place these books into the hands of children who need them most. If you are reading this and can help make a media connection, she would be truly grateful. Please contact Mari at marimitchelson@gmail.com

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