Book Steps Into Teen’s Life Outlook
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AnnMarie Manzulli and Arielle Underwood have come together as few mothers and daughters could. Manzulli has written a nonfiction children’s story about her daughter’s foot.
A Kailua marketing specialist, Manzulli said it took 10 years for her to put the words to paper, but Arielle’s Footprints is all about helping people to understand and be tolerant of differences in others - so it had to be written, and now it has.
“She runs and swims and dances,” it states on page 1,“though she does not leave ordinary marks in the sand ... “
Now 17 and a junior at St. Andrew’s Priory, Arielle was born three months prematurely, and her critical medical problems included a malignant tumor in her right foot, which had to be amputated. She’s since grown accustomed to wearing a special boot over a prosthetic foot and is a healthy, very mobile teenager.
“I don’t feel handicapped at all,” she volunteered. “Sometimes I forget. I don’t know another way; I’m just happy the way I am.”
The book explains her early progress in simple language, but as Arielle gets more comfortable with an audience, she finds that the quickest way to achieve understanding is to simply remove her foot and answer questions later, as she’s done with students at her alma mater, Aikahi Elementary.
“They say, ‘Whoooa, what happened? Can I touch it?’‘Does it hurt?’ Then they stare. It’s really, really helpful (to talk about it),” Arielle explained, “because if I don’t say it myself there’s often questions, or it may scare them off. The older ones understand right away,” she added.
The self-admitted science geek loves her school and has blossomed there as a student newspaper cartoonist who also enjoys art and drama. “When you stand out (at school),” she explained, “it’s like being original. I like that.”
Meanwhile, Manzulli has self-published the paperback book through www.authorhouse.com, and is distributing copies to nonprofits “to help families of sick children explain ‘their story’ to other siblings and family members and friends.
“It is a tool to bridge understanding for those who were born with physical challenges,” she said.
To order it, go to the website, or call Manzulli at 263-1955.
She also seeks “angel investors” to support the distribution of Arielle’s Footprints. A book, after all, can reach farther distances than Arielle can on her own. She is, however, studying to get her driver’s license as she masters new pedal techniques ...
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