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Hepner and Taylor Share Experiences in Book

EES School Counselor Cindy Hepner and EMS 7th grader Natalie Taylor share with everyone the story of Natalie's struggle with Diabetes through a book they wrote together, Natalie's Story.

Mrs. Hepner describes the intent of their joint effort below.

"The concept of Natalie's Story began while I was counseling her for the related stressors associated with her diabetes diagnosis. I realized there were very limited resources as I searched for a storybook addressing her issues. As Natalie would explain "her story" to me in counseling, I began to re-frame some of her perceptions into a more positive light and well as search for solutions.  The book began to evolve as I wrote down her quotes and had her illustrate those feelings.

The purpose of the book was to capture the view of diabetes from a child's perspective. One of the struggles faced by Natalie (as well as many other children with a chronic disease) is realizing that they are different from their peers. We spent time working on building self-esteem through self-acceptance activities (some are included in the rear of the book for caregivers). Since its publication, Natalie's hope is that other children will have a story they can relate to for encouragement to overcome their struggles with diabetes."

See more info about the publication at the National Center for Youth Issues.