When Liam’s Nana collapses and is rushed into hospital, Liam is very worried.  But is she really ill or is there something more sinister going on?  Why does Nana look so strange?   Why is she talking a different language?  And why are spaceships flying at night over Liam’s hometown?
“My Nana is an Alien” is a book for children that every adult should read.  It was inspired by a real-life Nana, Hilda Brooke, who died 11th December 2004, as a result of Pulmonary Hypertension.

My name is Shiri Ben-Artzi Padmore, and I am Ella’ mummy.  In 1999, I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension, a rare heart and lung disease.

When Ella was two years old, I felt I needed something to help her cope with some of the different issues that arose from my illness.   I turned to book stores and websites looking for books for children with chronically ill or disabled parents, but only found books about cancer.
When Ella was three I had a rough year.  I had to spend long periods in hospital and Ella was having a difficulty coping with my frequent absences.  The most important thing I wanted her to know was that I wasn’t deserting her.  So I decided to do something about it and wrote her a book above my love for her.  I still use this book each time I know I’m about to go into hospital and it’s made all the difference!

Parenting when you have a chronic illness isn’t easy.  It means having to face additional challenges while trying to raise happy, strong and well-adjusted children.  I encourage you to use this book in conversations with your children and trust that unconditional love and age-appropriate information will help them cope.

A collection of recipes from around the globe featuring Celebrity Chefs, super soups & starters, mighty meat & poultry, funky fish, veritable veggie, snazzy snacks & salads, dreamy desserts, cool cakes and helpful hints. 

Victoria decided to write her autobiography in her first year at university.  She said she wanted to get some answers as to why she had suffered medically as a child and then later as a young adult.  The greater part of the story has been written by Victoria, and subsequently edited by me, with her knowledge.  Obviously, the very beginning of her story was written by me, as she could not possibly write this herself.  Virtually all the photographs used were those chosen by Victoria for inclusion in this book.
Bryan, Victoria’s Dad, and Iain Armstrong, her specialist nurse in Sheffield, would have liked her to expand certain elements of the autobiography and, given time, Victoria would have done this.  Victoria agreed that the story should be brought up to her forthcoming 21st birthday, as it only goes up to her 20th birthday.  Tragically, time ran out and Victoria never managed to do this.
Victoria’s nickname was Torti.  She was originally only known by this name among her very immediate family.  However, over the last few years she became known as Torti by her friends and fellow students alike.
One of the stories which she loved to tell, but has omitted in her autobiography, was the fact that Bryan and I were married at 4 o’clock on the 4th of January 1981 and two years later, Torti was born at 4 minutes past 4 on the 4th January 1983!  She was our second child, born on our second wedding anniversary.
The story you are about to read has been left in Victoria’s own words, other than grammatical corrections, and we hope you will be inspired by this very special child who we are privileged to call our daughter.
Our grateful thanks go to all the medical teams across the country who used their expertise on Victoria, throughout her life, to give her a chance to be ‘normal’.  Our thanks also go to her many, many friends and teachers for their support.
Susan Lynn