Too Young - a book about childhood parental bereavement

Lee-Anne Duncan | Literature

$22,700.45 of $20,000 Raised

$22,700.45 of $23,000 Stretch Goal Raised

114%

144 Generous Donors

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Stretch Goal Message

09 Nov 2025

Now that I've met the target for the book's production, I'd love to raise money that would allow me to offer free books to organisations that work with bereaved children and their families – organisations such as Skylight, Canteen, Cancer Society, Grief Clinic, etc. Can you help ensure families who need to hear our stories have free access to them? Thank you!

Overview

When I was eight, my mother told me she was going to die. Six days before Christmas that year, in 1981, the leukaemia she’d had for five years killed her. Forty-three years on, I have written a non-fiction book about my experience growing up with a “dead parent”, also including those of dozens of other Kiwi adults who dealt with parental loss aged eighteen or younger.

Our stories illuminate what it’s like to lose a parent “too young”, and how that experience affected us as children, and as we grew into the adults we became. We want our stories to give comfort to others like us, and we want to show to adults around tamariki going through this today how they can perhaps best care for that child. I am seeking support to independently publish the book.

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Donors

Sarah Ross
Pen Mackay
Sarah Ross
Anonymous

Well don Lee-Anne. Anything that helps promote a more death and grief literate society is extremely worthwhile for us all, particularly our youth. Your project certainly does this.
Liesel Mitchell

Huge fan of your work, Lee-Anne!

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Project Updates

202 Days Ago

Thank you - 22,000 times, thank you!

Tēnā koutou!

As you have already been emailed, my Boosted campaign closed today after reaching $22,000.45 (the cents are important!)

The gloriously round number was due to an anonymous donor sneaking in at almost the last minute to round it up. Thank you, whoever you are! I love your style!

I truly never wanted to ask anyone for money in order to have this book published, but having done so it's been wonderful to gauge all the support and enthusiasm and interest out there. I can see you all believe that understanding what children experience when a parent dies, and supporting them through their grief, is a worthwhile endeavour.

So, thank you!

Two things you may also like to do. Firstly, if you haven't, you might be interested in listening to my interview with Kathryn Ryan on RNZ this past Tuesday. Kathryn is also an ABC - adult bereaved as a child - so it was an interesting chat.

Secondly, I have some of your emails but not all. If you kept your information hidden or anonymous, I don't know who you are or how to contact you, which means I can't let you know when the book is out. If you'd like to be updated, please to go the Too Young website, scroll to the bottom and add your email to register your interest in being notified when that momentous day arrives!

Until then, thank you, thank you, thank you for your support and encouragement.

You have all given me and the Too Young project quite the boost.

Ngā mihi nui,

Lee-Anne (and the 70+ other ABCs)

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