Mom's Cancer

• Title — Mom's Cancer • Author — Brian Fies • Status — Completed • First — 2004 • Publisher — Harry N. Abrams (2006) • Genre — Autobiographical

There are four main characters in the story, all of which are part of the family. None of the characters are ever referred by name, and the author uses his relationships to identify them. • Mom: the author's mother; she is in her 60s, and suffers from stage IV metastatic lung cancer. • Me: The author, a "self-employed writer" in his 40s, and the eldest child. • Nurse Sis: One of the author's sisters; slightly younger than him, and a registered nurse. • Kid Sis: The author's youngest sister; an actress and writer who lives with her mother. Aside from the main characters, there are several secondary characters who appear several times, most notably the author's stepfather and his mother's head doctor. A reviewer described the story as...

The story is divided into chapters, each one containing several multipanel pages. Although the webcomic is mostly presented in black and white, several chapters are done in full or partial color, primarily for effect or when color helps the understanding of the ideas that are presented. In total, there are thirty-three chapters, including an epilogue. The comic was originally published Mom's Cancer on its own website. The comic is no longer hosted there, but later appeared in full on GoComics. The webcomic was published as a graphic novel by Harry N. Abrams in March 2006.

Medical student Samantha Estevez, writing for the blog Graphic Medicine, encouraged anyone in medicine to read the work, saying "No matter what field of medicine you are in, you are sure to encounter cancer and Fies' perspective may help you not only be a better physician for your patients but a better friend to them as well." Several scientific papers have cited Mom's Cancer when examining medical humanities such as doctor-patient interactions and narratives around illness.

Mom's cancer / Brian Fies. Associated with United States. Recorded from 2004.