Liam's Fantastic Friends Series

Hi, My name is Deana,

Here's our story...

I'm the mom of an amazing little boy, Liam he's a sassy 8-year-old, who was born on Valentine's Day in 2015, he was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when he was only 3 weeks of age.

Here's what we are fundraising for...

Liam has co-written 2 children's books and we have been met with lots of inquiries if we are going to do more and of course, our answer is YES!!!!

We are looking for your help to roll out a full series on different abilities that we have encountered on Liam's Journey, as Liam has seen how quickly it has helped him and his friends understand him and his condition and how he's no different than anyone else. This new series will be called Liam's Fantastic Friends.

We are in the process of creating a Christmas Book called Liam and the Honorary Elves, we will start slowly introducing the kids!

We would love your help once again to make this dream a reality for him, and for other kids to not feel like they are different. WE WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT YOUR ILLNESS DOESN'T DEFINE WHO YOU TRULY ARE.

Liam's Story is quite the amazing one....

When we finally got the diagnosis we honestly knew nothing about Cystic Fibrosis. So I did exactly what I knew I shouldn’t — I looked it up online.

I was met with stories of kids needing lung transplants before the age of five. Kids passing away at the age of seven. It was every parent’s worst nightmare. To discover that there was something seriously wrong with our seemingly perfectly healthy child. I had visions of us constantly in the hospital, never knowing from one day to the next if he was going to survive. Powerless.

But then the doctors helped us understand that there were so many ways to change the odds and make a difference. Medication, physiotherapy. And advocacy. My father especially was a huge advocate for Liam. He was always making sure everyone knew Liam’s condition. Always reminding us not to take anything in life for granted. My dad was the one who whipped my butt to get me involved in the community as well. ‘You need to be his voice,’ he told me.

Quite early on, though, we learned that Liam could also be his own voice. He’s never been afraid to make himself heard. When he started kindergarten, it was his idea to create a children’s book to help his friends understand his disease. 'Liam, Strong as a Tree.' In his own words, the book explains why he couldn’t run as fast as his friends, why he had to go down to the office for oxygen, and why he needed extra help. Most importantly, it explained that he was really no different from any other kid.

Though the book started off as a tool for Liam’s classmates, we knew quickly that it could make a much broader difference. With the help of Iguana Books, we sold over 1,500 copies in the first year. Liam was so happy. He’s now co-written his second book, this one called Liam's Hospital Stay its also about how he has processed my dad’s death from stage four lung cancer. Liam's books have been recognized far and wide and we're so thrilled they are changing lives.

We are so grateful to everyone who has helped us we do love you all so much and it truly takes a village.

With all These stories coming up you will be quite amazed, I know I am. I'm truly Blessed.