Hi! I'm Melanie Herbert, the author and app designer behind How Petunia Gets Ready for the Hospital children's book and mobile app. 

 

At the age of four months old, I was diagnosed with a rare and extensive Venous Malformation in my left facial-temple region. Being a child, and now teen medical patient, I have learned from my experiences of going through surgeries, chemo-therapy, and time in the hospital and am now on a mission to support those who are going through it as well! I am happy to be a member of the Youth Advisory Council of Mt. Sinai Kravis Children's hospital, giving me the opportunity to work alongside child-life specialists and professionals in the healthcare industry to implement critical changes in the hospital setting to improve child-patient care. 

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One of the main problems I found was the lack of informative and helpful children's books focusing on surgery. Books surrounding patient health were either just factual or unrealistic. So, I decided to write my own. "How Petunia Gets Ready For The Hospital" highlights both mental and physical aspects of going through surgery, teaching patients that it is okay to be scared and offering strategies to overcome these fears. 

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