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Inspire a Whole New Generation

Nurse Florence, What is Multiple Sclerosis? follows a young girl with a cousin who has MS and goes to her favorite school nurse to learn more about the condition. Why was this an important topic for you to write on?

The Nurse Florence® series will address all diseases, so this was eventually going to be written. The illustrator said MS affects her family, so we decided to go ahead and do this book with Angel. I try to assign topics to illustrators which affect them personally so that there is more motivation and inspiration for them while completing the illustrations.

Your book offers a comprehensive yet accessible exploration of multiple sclerosis, covering its definition, impact, and symptoms. What is the most important thing you want young readers to know about living with Multiple Sclerosis?

We attempt to be very thorough with every disease book in the Nurse Florence series so that the disease book will be the only needed book by a family to purchase in order to inform and educate all family members. With every book I write, I also get educated about something I did not know. From my research, I found out that an increase in body temperature can trigger an MS episode. Also, people with low levels of vitamin D have an increased risk to develop the disease, so this stresses the importance of people eating a balanced diet so that they get all of their vitamins and minerals they need for a healthy life.

As an author, what has been your favorite memory or experience in sharing the Nurse Florence® series with children?

At the Tucson Festival of Books in March 2023, we had our first fan come up to the table. The mom walked over with her child and told her, “Look there’s Nurse Florence!” After talking with them, they have been checking out every Nurse Florence® title they could get from the local library. We hope to inspire a whole new generation of kids into the health science professions.

Who has been the biggest supporter of your writing?

My wife, Perla. She believes completely in the project and has allowed me to get the family into some debt to help launch the series. She is also the Latin American Spanish translator for the series. I could not do this without her love and support. I’m a lucky man!

Sometimes it seems only a nurse can bring technical information down to an understanding that an ordinary person can grasp. The Nurse Florence® book series provides high quality medical information that even a child can grasp. By introducing young kids to correct terminology and science concepts at an early age, we can help increase our children’s health literacy level as well as help to prepare them for courses and jobs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. We need more scientists so I hope that many children will enjoy this book series and consider a job involving science. Introducing Some Medical Words to Kids in Every Book A Movement of Global Health Promotion and Literacy Dow Creative Enterprises® Help Civilization Reach Its Potential.

Posted in Interviews

Life Interrupted: It’s Not All About Me

Nov 15

Posted by Literary Titan

Dealing with a disability or other debilitating disease is hard to begin with. When you don’t get the help that you need to deal with the changes your life is taking, it can cause irreversible harm to your relationships. Self-care is important; and is a burden that should not be placed on the people you love. It is alright to ask for help, but ultimately you are responsible for your own actions, how you deal with your situation, and making sure the people you love know you care about them. Chris Tatevosian gives readers an honest look into his life with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and how he let his attitude destroy his marriage. He shares his insights into what went wrong with his “it’s all about me” mentality; and how he learned to overcome that and build healthy relationships in life.

Life Interrupted, It’s Not All About Me by Chris M. Tatevosian is a short read of less than 150 pages. It is however, filled with deep topics covering depression, anxiety, abuse and recovery. That is a lot of emotional energy packed into a few pages. Chris Tatevosian’s purpose in writing this book is to help others avoid the mistakes he made. He is very honest about the mistakes he made and offers the reader ideas on how to avoid making the same mistakes. There is a good mix of positive and humorous stories mixed in with the challenges, so it is not an all-out depressing book. He talks about the good times and bad with his ex-wife. Hearing about the struggles to get disability and social security is relatable to many with disabilities of all kinds and he explains how the stress impacts both the people in the relationship, not just the one with the disability.

At times the book feels like it is a personal journal where Chris is just writing out bits and pieces of his memories. I feel this is important though to the reader because you see him before MS took away his independence. You see him as he was, and it helps to understand why he became so bitter and fell into the “poor me” attitude that eventually ruined his marriage. Letting others see this makes it more real and relatable. In the end this book is not just about him complaining about all he lost due to MS, it is about how he learned to adapt and how he learned from his mistakes. This is a good book for people that are struggling and feel alone and feel that they can’t ever change the situation they are in. You may not be able to change your disability or disease, but you can change your attitude and how you relate to the people in your life to make your situation a little better.

Pages: 148 | ISBN: 1606045636