Jason Solomon has no kids of his own but this children's book is very special to him.
It was written by his mother Michele Solomon.
"She was a good person who was dealt a bad hand,” said Jason Solomon.
Michele and her late husband raised two sons in the Bergen Beach section of Brooklyn, Jason and his brother Jonathan. She was diagnosed with leukemia 15 years ago, when she was just 43. She beat that cancer, but was diagnosed with breast cancer four years later.
After treatment and with the disease in remission, she decided to finally take a creative writing class at Kingsborough Community College, to develop an idea she had for a children's book.
“The story was in her head for a very long time. She had the characters. She would tell us about it. Once she took that course I think she got this idea, wait a minute, this could be really something," Solomon said.
The story is about a horse named Hardy who wears glasses, just like she did, and loses his way when he loses them.
The Adventure of Hardy the Horse has a happy ending. The story of its author does not.
Michele Solomon's breast cancer returned, and she died last year, before she could get the book published.
But now it has been published, thanks to her son Jason, who wanted to see her dream fulfilled.
"To see her name in print on the cover was everything to me. But there's also feelings of sadness because I wish that she could be here to enjoy the fruits of her labor,” said Solomon.
The last page of the book is a dedication to Michele, describing her journey and her work to perfect the book, which is what lifted her spirits in her cancer battle.
"Very difficult. A lot of uncertainty. You just don't know what's going to happen from one day to the next. And it was hard for her to keep a positive attitude all the time,” said Solomon.
He says she would've been really proud of the final product. The hardcover book is now available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble for $24.99.
Solomon says the next step is to try to get the book in schools and libraries.