Christine Frisbee, artist, author, and creator, has announced the release of two distinct works that draw from her personal history and her years working alongside families navigating illness and loss. The two books, “Day By Day” and “Henrietta, the Singing Ballerina,” reflect a body of work rooted in lived experience, emotional honesty, and a deep commitment to helping others find their footing in difficult circumstances. Together, they represent a creative vision shaped by grief, resilience, and the enduring complexity of human personality.
A Life That Became the Foundation for Art
Christine Frisbee grew up as the third of twelve children, all born to the same two parents, and all remarkably different from one another. That early immersion in the spectrum of human personality planted the seeds for everything she would later create. Observing how people process the same events in entirely different ways became a lifelong practice for her, one that informs both her visual art and her written work.
Her path took a profound turn when her son Rich was diagnosed with leukemia and died at the age of fifteen. The loss reshaped her family in ways that were as varied as the individuals living through it. Each of Rich’s four siblings processed the grief differently, and each emerged seeing the world through a lens uniquely their own. Rather than retreating from that pain, Christine moved toward it, eventually joining the Yale School of Medicine, where she worked with families who had a child facing serious illness. There, she witnessed firsthand how siblings of ill children carry the weight of that experience long after the immediate crisis has passed.
“Day By Day”: Stories From the Siblings Left Behind
The first book, “Day By Day,” is a collection of accounts gathered from siblings who share what it is like to grow up alongside a seriously ill brother or sister. These are not clinical observations or secondhand interpretations. They are personal narratives told by the people who lived them, describing how their worlds shifted, how their relationships changed, and how they found ways to keep moving forward.
The book draws directly from Christine’s work at Yale and from her own experience as a mother who watched her children grieve in their own separate ways. It is intended to give voice to a group that is often overlooked in conversations about childhood illness: the brothers and sisters who are present throughout the journey but rarely given space to tell their own story. “Day By Day” fills that gap with care and clarity, offering readers a powerful and often overlooked perspective on family, loss, and survival.
“Henrietta, the Singing Ballerina”: A Picture Book About Courage
The second work takes a different form. “Henrietta, the Singing Ballerina” is a picture book inspired by one of Christine’s grandchildren, a child with a clear sense of who she is and a determination to share that vision with the world. Henrietta is a character who insists on being seen on her own terms, combining her love of singing with her love of dance in a way that defies the expectations others may have for her.
Christine both wrote and illustrated the book, using watercolors to bring Henrietta’s world to life with warmth and movement. The illustrations reflect the same attentiveness to personality and emotion that defines her broader body of artwork, including the abstract and representational paintings available through her website at christinefrisbee.com. The book is aimed at young readers but carries a message that resonates across ages: self-determination and the courage to be exactly who you are, even when the world expects something different.
Writing as a Tool for Meaning
Christine has described her approach to writing in straightforward terms. “I write to be effective, to make a difference and to say something that makes you think,” she has said. That philosophy runs through both books, regardless of the audience each is designed to reach. Whether addressing adults processing grief or children discovering their identity, the intention is the same: to offer something useful, something honest, and something that leaves the reader with more than they arrived with.
Her work has been recognized across several fields. She has received the Outstanding Alumni Award from Oak Knoll School, where she also served as Commencement Speaker in 1996. Her contributions to healthcare and patient support have been acknowledged through the Award for New Programs for the Bone Marrow Transplant Program, the Leukemia Society Award for Outstanding Member, and the Artist in Residence Award from Massachusetts General Hospital. These honors reflect the range of her contributions, spanning education, the arts, and medicine.
Finding Strength Through Expression
The thread connecting Christine’s life and work is the belief that difficult experiences, when examined honestly, can become a source of strength rather than only a source of sorrow. Growing up in a large family taught her to observe. Losing a child taught her to listen more deeply. Working with families at Yale taught her how much it matters to be heard. Her books are an extension of all of that, a way of making space for stories that deserve to be told.
Readers and those interested in her work can follow her updates and view her artwork through her social media presence on Facebook and Instagram, where she shares her creative process and ongoing projects.
About Christine Frisbee
Christine Frisbee is an artist, author, and creator whose work explores personality, resilience, and the many ways people navigate hardship and identity. As the third of twelve children and a mother who lost a son to leukemia, she brings a deeply personal perspective to her writing and illustration. Her professional background includes work with the Yale School of Medicine supporting families of seriously ill children. She has received multiple awards recognizing her contributions to the arts, education, and healthcare. Her books, paintings, and additional work are available through christinefrisbee.com. You can email her directly at .