Sad book I cannot find about a son and father

[Liaaaa]

I cannot remember the title of this book as I read it 4 years ago. I believe it was about a father and son and the sons mother died of some sort of illness and for some reason cancer is engraved into my brain. I believe the son was around 9-12 years of age and for some reason they had a toolbox in the story.

[Kris]

Liaaaa, is this book for kids, teens or adults?

What is the story's time period and location?

Please add more of those plot details to your header/ topic title. You can copy and paste from what you've already written. Someone is more likely to recognize your book.

[Robert]

A Boy Called Hope, by Lara Williamson?

"I'm Dan Hope and deep inside my head I keep a list of things I want to come true. For example, I want my sister, Ninja Grace, to go to university at the North Pole and only come back once a year. I want to help Sherlock Holmes solve his most daring mystery yet. And if it could be a zombie mystery, all the more exciting. I want my dog to stop eating the planets and throwing them up on the carpet. And finally, the biggest dream of all, I want my dad to love me."