The Keeper of the Moon: Chrissy Hanna’s Comforting Tale of Wonder & Strength

By Kelsey Knott Photos By Matt Johnson

“Zoey was an Earth Angel sent to me to save my life. I feel like I spent my whole life looking for purpose and meaning, and it’s so awesome to me that from the beginning, she has nothing else to prove because she already saved my life.”

In her debut children’s book, The Keeper of the Moon, Chrissy Hanna writes a lyrical, celestial tale of resilience and peace found in being carried through the darkness. As a writer who holds an English degree focused on professional writing and editing, she always thought she would publish a coffee table book someday. However, the circumstances surrounding the inspiration for her first book are extraordinary. Writing and journaling through the most fearful of times, Hanna composed this calming, anchored children’s story that became something physical her daughter, Zoey, could always cherish. “I didn’t think that getting cancer would be the thing that led to today. I finally understood that the year full of uncertainty was putting me on the right path. I was able to decenter work from my life and become happier–a better friend, better sister, better daughter, and great mom because of it. I cannot stress enough that I wouldn’t be the same person I am now if I wouldn’t have quit my job and gotten sick.” The Keeper of the Moon grew out of an instinct to make something calm and steady, as that’s what she needed the world to be for Zoey and herself while she navigated motherhood and cancer all at once.

While she encountered fatigue that can be expected from both those who are experiencing pregnancy or sickness, her blood work was all reading normal. Three months into pregnancy, Chrissy Hanna woke up with a stiff neck. At her normal OBGYN appointment that week, her doctor coincidentally took what seemed like a coiled-up muscle seriously, as his close classmate in medical school was pregnant and got diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. “I never would have found out I was sick if I hadn’t gotten pregnant and had that specific doctor. He helped me fast track everything, and it took me a while to process.”

After her own diagnosis, she began chemotherapy just weeks after giving birth. “While I was adjusting to becoming a mom, I started navigating the illness, and it shifted how I understood my body and my future. Motherhood came unexpectedly and clarified life for me in a way that I didn’t see coming. I feel like my eyes are brighter because of it.” 

Louisville gives Hanna space to live slowly, which she values as a mother and writer. A West Virginian who also lived in Charlotte, North Carolina for six years, she made the move right before everything changed in March of 2020. “What always attracted me to Louisville is that it’s lived-in and human-sized. Charlotte was very polished, and there was a lot of pressure to be perfect. My sister had lived here for a long time, and I traveled for my job, so I took flights to come visit her here. I ended up making this really great group of friends and finally moved here.” Leaving her fast-paced travel job behind and gaining perspective on life after getting sick, Hanna recognizes the immense gift that Louisville provides in embodying a slower world that sparks creativity. 

The Keeper of the Moon explores rest and resilience through dark times, but most importantly, “it shows what real care and support looks like.” The main character makes the moon shine quietly, night after night, not asking for help until she’s the one who’s wearing down. In that moment, the story shifts and the wind rises and carries what she can’t hold. “The support from my family and my fiance Michael, who would get up and stay up during the nights with Zoey because I was so sick, felt like that–love as a steady presence and help that’s gentle, non-judgmental, and no questions asked.” Hanna stresses the importance of finding and being that kind of love for others in our lives.

When it comes to Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Hanna wishes more people understood its effects beyond the physical and medical level. “It’s psychological. The anticipation, anxiety, waiting, and worrying causes just as much illness in mental health. I lost all my hair, which I know is superficial, but it strips you of your identity. You already don’t feel like yourself inside, and to look in the mirror and not recognize yourself is hard.” While her support system lifted her up and obstacles during that time still made her a better mom, friend, sister, and daughter, she emphasizes that survivorship is not the finish line. “It’s something I carry with me forever. The mark of survivorship is the mark of a new chapter, and the ending of my book ties all that together: ‘not too bright, not too full, but something new.’ It makes space for the idea that things won’t go back to the way that they were before, but that doesn’t mean you’re not going to be whole again.” The Keeper of the Moon honors her journey by donating a portion of sales to Blood Cancer United.

Hanna hopes people gain a feeling of relief from reading The Keeper of the Moon. While many children’s books focus on achievement and learning lessons, this story is meant to calm and take the pressure off. “It’s wonderful if the kid feels calmer and more settled afterwards, but I think it’s just as important if the parent or the reader can unclench their jaw a little, too, as they’re reading.” 

Get your copy of The Keeper of the Moon at storiesbychrissy.com or Carmichael’s Bookstore, and stay tuned for Keeper of the Almost and other Appalachian stories that Chrissy has in store!