Always Smile: Carley Allison’s Secrets for Laughing, Loving and Living

Carley Allison, 17, was a composer, singer, competitive figure skater, blogger and a blossoming celebrity influencer. She was an extremely high achiever who excelled academically and in all areas of her life. Carley was admired for her upbeat personality and perpetually sunny outlook. She used her online presence to spread that positivity even after being diagnosed in February of 2013 with a rare cancer in her trachea, a golf ball sized tumor that was discovered after it impacted her breathing and singing. Carley was one of only two people in the world to be afflicted with this extremely rare form of cancer.

Always Smile follows Carly, her supportive sisters, Olympic athlete mother and doting father, extended family and friends as they all support Carley in her fight against cancer. Readers get to know Carley in her own words through text messages, interviews and online posts. While the cancer was aggressive, Carley was declared cancer free after a year of surgery and chemo, all while starting a new relationship with the love of her life, singing at major sporting events and returning to the skating rink. Thrilled that she had beaten the disease and eager to get back to normal life, Carley created and hosted fundraising events travelled with her family, visited her cottage and started university in Kingston, Ontario. Unfortunately, the good times were short lived as Carley’s cancer returned, having spread to her lungs and the bones in her arm. Carley withdrew from university after only a few weeks. While her doctors informed her parents that Carley’s death was imminent, she refused to admit defeat and sought holistic treatments in Florida. Carley passed away in palliative care in Toronto in March of 2015 at the age of nineteen.

Established young adult author Alice Kuipers had never met Carley Allison and relied on the blogger’s online posts, interviews, texts, news clippings and photos to create this celebration of Carley’s life. Always Smile is an emotional tribute to the competitive, accomplished teen who inspired many by sharing her daily battle with cancer online. Kuipers has ensured that Carley’s voice is loud and clear and that readers get to know her intimately. Always Smile will inspire teenaged and adult readers alike and also serve as support for those battling illness or hardship. Carley dedicated her brief life to spreading her message of love, strength in adversity, and giving 200% in all endeavors. There will be tears, both in joy and sorrow, as this memoir is sure to touch and inspire all who read of Carley’s journey.