LITTLE LEE-LEE

Charleston, SC – Local author and business owner Alicia Chisholm has written the first in a series of children’s books about Little Lee-lee, a pre-teen girl with juvenile diabetes.

The Adventures of Little Lee-lee and Sir Tickle, the Friendly Pickle follows Little Lee-lee as she is diagnosed with juvenile diabetes and rebels against her doctor’s orders. As the challenges of her disease mount, Little Lee-lee turns to her imagination, manifested in the form of Sir Tickle the Friendly Pickle, in order to cope. Sir Tickle helps Little Lee-lee endure hospital stays, overcome bullying at school, and finally shows her exactly what her future will hold if she chooses to not care for her diabetes as instructed.

Diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 12, Alicia Chisholm has transformed her own childhood experiences into a fantasy world where cars look like ladybugs, hospital rooms have rainbow waterfalls, patients rest in beds made of gold covered with precious gems, and Little Lee-lee’s physician is a skateboard-riding teddy bear with a green and red Mohawk.

Lee-lee’s story educates while entertaining, which is Ms. Chisholm’s purpose for authoring this series. Alicia admits to not following her doctor’s orders and ignoring her diabetes, and as a result she lost her sight before the age of 30. After multiple surgeries and experimental organ transplants, Alicia concluded that her mission in life is to provide educational resources for children with juvenile diabetes in order to prevent them from making the same mistakes she made and suffering the same fate. This book is the very first step of her journey, and a shining example of what can be accomplished with faith and determination.

Few child-centric resources are currently available for juveniles with diabetes, and Alicia Chisholm’s book has already garnered accolades from physicians and educators:

Dr. Timothy Lyons comments, “The story of Little Lee-lee will appeal to all children and young people faced with the challenge of Type 1 diabetes, and carries a message that is vital for their future health.” Jennie Ariail, a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, who “[knows] something about the potentially deadly effects of Type 1 diabetes…urge[s] all primary care physicians, all endocrinologists, and all pediatricians to have copies of Little Lee-lee and Sir Tickle, the Friendly Dill Pickle in their offices and to recommend this book as essential reading for all children newly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and their families.” Doctors Allston Kitchens, Barbara Hildreth, and Laura Lee Kinney from Tidewater Internal Medicine at Roper St. Francis agree that “we know Alicia will be a blessing to many. And Chisolm’s book is a must read for every diabetic child and his or her family.” Shawn McKenna, Director of the Individual Gifts Program for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation comments:  "I've read the book and found it educational and an enjoyable read, appropriate for children of a certain age group, as an inclusion,give-away in our "Bag of Hope" which is distributed to newly-diagnosed type 1 patients and their families." For more information go to: http://www.myhealingherbs.org/Leelee%20and%20Sir%20Tickle%20book.html