Amelia and John L. Smith are photographed during their visit to the Las Vegas Review-Journal on December 4, 2009. Photo by Craig L. Moran, Courtesy of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Review-Journal columnist and daughter recall her fight against cancer in new book
By JOHN PRZYBYS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Regular readers of the Review-Journal know John L. Smith. And, if they know Smith, they have become acquainted with his daughter, Amelia, who has made numerous appearances in her dad’s columns during the past 13 years.
Readers experienced the day Smith and his wife, Patricia, welcomed Amelia into their family and shared, vicariously, such child/parent milestones as Amelia’s first day of school.
But, during the past five years, readers also witnessed the most daunting challenge the Smiths have faced: Amelia’s battle with cancer.
Fortunately, that’s a story with a happy ending. And, now, in Amelia’s Long Journey: Stories About a Brave Girl and Her Fight Against Cancer ($14.95; Stephens Press, which is a sister company of the Review-Journal), Smith and his daughter recall Amelia’s medical struggles via Smith’s columns and previously unpublished family photos.