Eighteen years ago my second child was born. But she was a very unique baby. She was born with Biliary Atresia. It’s amazing how a term you don’t even know exists can change your life forever.
Biliary Atresia is a liver disease where the liver’s bile ducts are too narrow or closed completely. It doesn’t allow the liver to do its job. Many times, a liver transplant is needed to save the person’s life. That was Jackie’s case.
When we were preparing for her transplant, even though she was little, I was looking for a picture book to help her prepare for it. I knew it was a complicated subject, but I wanted something that would help with the conversation.
I found a few books here and there, but nothing that would walk a child through the main parts of the process. I also wanted the right balance of information without being too scary. That’s when I knew I needed to write one of my own.
When I explained what was going to happen to her, Jackie is the one who called her donor an “Angel Donor,” which is now the title of the book.
Unfortunately, once COVID hit, my publisher was hit hard and had to shut down. However, I know that to this day families struggle with this disease and with this situation. I knew Angel Donor should not disappear. Now,, I’m planning to publish a second edition independently. The awesome and super amazing illustrator, Samantha Bell, worked with me to ensure we could reuse the illustrations.
In order to make this a reality, I’m gauging interest, I’ve created a group on Facebook. There, I will be bouncing ideas off members, get feedback for the project I’m working on, and the members get to be a part of the process.
Jennifer Gladen 