Patti is named after my dad, Patrick.
I chose a duck thanks to my friend, Todd, who said ducks can be born in tree trunks and have to be brave to fly out of tree not knowing the world outside of the tree.
Patti has a brother in the story like I do, my brother Dan.
My dad, Dan, and I would always throw a ball up on the roof and see where it would go and have to catch it, bump, set, spike it, or was the worse when it went over the house and you had to go get it. But all in fun. My kids love to play this game with my dad now too.
I chose a snake because I am super afraid of them. And sometimes fear is not always a bad thing. Sometimes we need to conquer our fears. I chose a frog because we had a pet Timmy Toad outside our house one summer, even though it did not end well for Timmy,the girls thought he was the best and we will always remember Timmy the Toad.
Now let’s dig a bit deeper on the book…
The scares Patti encounters from the snake and the frog correlates to my relapses and symptoms of living with MS. I have no idea what lies ahead with this disease but I keep going just like Patti does. Patti’s brother tells her that he is there for her if she needs anything, just like my family and friends are. Patti tells herself three affirmations that I do have to remind myself of often. And trust me some times I feel like I am not any of those affirmations but again keep fighting. And the ending is exactly how I live my life.
“I will do ANYTHING for the ones that I love.”
And I will always fight this disease and do the best I can living with it and managing it for my children, husband, family, and friends.
LOVE conquers everything my friends!
So there is the meaning behind that cute little duck Patti and what she is all about. I hope everyone enjoys the book. It was so much fun dreaming of it, writing it, rewriting it, seeing the illustrations make the story alive, and believing all the good I hope to come from the book.
Thanks for the love and support!! If you would like to purchase a copy, click SHOP page of website. XO
