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2003-09-12
Author’s book has message
Jeff Walcott Sandra Mae Stern, above, hasn’t let multiple sclerosis stop her from writing poetry and books.
When her daughter, Sandra Mae, walked across a stage at her 1983 law school graduation ceremony, Rosalie Young remembers noticing her gait was "a little off.” What Young did not know on that day 20 years ago was that her daughter’s walk was a symptom of multiple sclerosis. The diagnosis came shortly after Sandra Mae, whose last name is now Stern, received her law degree. The effects of MS have made it difficult for Stern to make a living as a lawyer, so she’s turned to a computer terminal; the prolific writer spends up to seven hours a day doing something she’s always loved to do. Stern’s efforts have resulted in a children’s book that addresses her real-life struggles through the eyes of a dog. "Hopefully I will make some money,” but more importantly, says Stern, it is through the written word she can retain her voice. "Not being able to speak is bad,” said Stern, who recently received an umbilical stem cell injection, which her doctors hope will relieve some of her MS symptoms. But for now, on most days she has to rely on an alphabet chart, pointing out the letters of the words she wants to say in order to carry on a conversation.
Stern with illustrator Kimberly Smith, right, collaborated on the recently published children’s book “Danny-ruff and the Unattached Parts,” which looks at people with disabilities through the eyes of a dog. Today, the 46-year-old single mother of two children, Dori, 13, and Aaron, 9, can no longer walk unassisted and uses a wheelchair most of the time. Around the time her daughter Dori was born, Stern decided to turn her attention from career to motherhood. But the ever-worsening form of MS she has began to interfere with her ability to care for herself and her family. By the time she and her then-husband adopted their son, Stern’s MS had taken hold with a vengeance. Overwhelmed by the responsibilities of caring for his wife and children, her husband, she said, decided to end their marriage. Her children now live with their father in Charlottesville, Va., because of Stern’s health problems. Stern moved into the Bethel home of her parents, Bernie Lichtenstein, an electrical engineer and Rosalie Young, a psychotherapist. Stern was eager to talk about a recently published book she’s written for children. "Danny-ruff and the Unattached Parts” is illustrated by Kimberly Smith, a Danbury resident who earned her degree in illustration and fine arts from Western Connecticut State University. The illustrations are inspired by Stern’s dog, Danny, who died 10 years ago. More than a beloved pet, Danny has an important message to teach humans about tolerance. Though Stern dedicated the book "as a gift to her children,” any child, she said, can relate to Danny-ruff. In her book, Danny-ruff, a wild dog, grew up in the woods believing that dogs were better than humans, until he moves in with a human couple. One of the humans is a disabled woman, who at first Danny-ruff thinks is "dumb” because she "leans on sticks with wheels” and "moves very slowly” and can’t play "tickle and chase” with the dog the way her husband can. Watching visitors come and go to the house, he notices how some humans think they’re better than other humans and treat the woman differently. They "think she’s dumb,” Danny-ruff tells a dog friend and he is puzzled why "they talk to her in extra loud and slow voices” and "seem to be a little bit afraid of her.” Then one day, he gets sick and learns that even disabled humans are "kind and smart” and "can love and help a dog.” Smith, the book’s illustrator, said she learned a few things about first impressions, first from Stern’s manuscript, then later when the two actually met. She said she was surprised with Stern’s candor, and that she was willing to "talk about her disabilities in order to help people understand.” Stern says she is surprised at how often she’s had to relay the message that "people with disabilities are not dumb.” Often, her mother says, "People tend not to look Sandi in the eyes when they’re talking to her. This is a person who is well-educated. She’s a voracious reader and writer all her life, yet some people think she can’t understand anything.” Stern also talks about the subject in some of her poetry, where she deals with other hard-hitting subjects like the breakup of a marriage and loss of independence. She plans to publish a book of 50 of her poems next year. · To order "Danny-Ruff and the Unattached Parts,” by Sandra Mae Stern, contact the Xlibris Corp. at 436 Walnut St., 11th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106, or call the book ordering department at 1-888-795-4274, ext. 276. The book can also be ordered through the Web site www.Xlibris.com or email Orders@Xlibris.com. |
