Book aims to help parents of disabled children

A new book aims to ­highlight the plight of the ­island’s “special parents” who are bringing up ­disabled children.

The book titled One ­Special Thing will “give a voice” to more than 20 ­families.

The book is the ­brainchild of  Pete ­Saunders who is the father of a young son with ­cerebral palsy.

Mr. Saunders is spending his free time working on the book to highlight those who he believes “don’t get the recognition they ­deserve.”

He believes moms and dads of those with special needs should be called ­“special parents” for their round-the-clock care.

Mr. Saunders is married to Annesa, 28, and they live in Devonshire with their four-year-old son Dakari.

Dakari was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was eight-months-old and undergoes speech, physio and occupational therapy on a daily basis.

Mr. Saunders says parents of special needs children “rarely get a ­mention” so he wants to give them the ­credit they deserve.

He said: “It takes a ­special person to parent a child with special needs.

“I have given these ­parents the opportunity to comment on the joy they experience from having a child in their life.

“There’s a lot of extra care involved, but these dedicated parents do it for the love of their child.

“It’s more than worth it as these children are in our lives to make us love, live, laugh, cry, learn and hope.”

It has been Mr. Saunders dream to produce this type of book for more than a year. He is currently in the process of interviewing the families who have agreed to feature in the book.

Most of the families who will be in the book have children who attend ­Marjorie Dame Bean Hope Academy. The children ­suffer from cerebral palsy, autism or gross developmental delays.

Each family will have two pages dedicated to their ­story, featuring a mix of words and pictures.

The ‘at home’ family ­photos are being taken by the Bermuda Sun photographer Kageaki Smith.

Among those featured in the book will be Cheryl Hayward-Chew and husband David whose 12-year-old daughter Coral has cerebral palsy.

Mrs. Hayward-Chew said people were generally “understanding and accepting” of cerebral palsy in Bermuda, but she would like to see more wheelchair-friendly buildings with ramps

Mr. Saunders says he wants the book to focus on the day-to-day issues ­families face in their “tough lives”.

He said: “Every family is different, each one has their own story.

“Some expect more from the government, from their country, while others just learn to make do. But the biggest issue is respite care, especially for single parents who have to work and take care of their families. Sometimes all they want to do is to take a little break without feeling guilty.”

Mr. Saunders added: “I want to raise awareness and give these families a voice to share their own experiences.”

The book’s publishing date is yet to be announced but it is expected to be on sale at all local bookstores.

All money raised from the sale of the book will be split between children’s charities and the families featured.