Bendy Wendy And The (Almost) Invisible Genetic Syndrome
Bendy Wendy and the (Almost) Invisible Genetic Syndrome: A Story of One Tween’s Diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome / Joint Hypermobility – A story of one tween’s diagnosis with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome / Joint Hypermobility is available in paperback on Amazon.
Wendy is a perky, vivacious adolescent entering middle school with a lifelong vision of becoming an cheerleader. Wendy has been called bendy by family and friends because she’s been limber and flexible throughout her life, earning her the nickname ‘Bendy Wendy.’
As soon as she’s about to realize her ultimate aspiration of making the cheerleading squad as a flyer, Wendy worries that her dream will be shattered by constant physical issues plaguing her during rigorous practices and performances.
On the outside, Wendy looks perfectly ‘normal, ‘ but clearly something more is going on. Join Wendy and her parents on their journey through a diagnosis and revelations of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome / joint hypermobility, an ‘almost’ invisible genetic syndrome.
“Bendy Wendy and the (Almost) Invisible Genetic Syndrome… A story of one tween’s diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome / joint hypermobility” was written to fill a need for families, children, and tweens that find themselves in a position of understanding and explaining, in basic terms, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and the issues associated with it.
It’s been thoughtfully developed by bone and connective tissue disorder expert Dr. Brad T Tinkle and his award-winning children’s book author wife, Laurren Darr. For almost a decade, they had dinner-time conversations on how to better serve and reassure children and families affected by Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome / joint hypermobility. “Bendy Wendy and the (Almost) Invisible Genetic Syndrome… A story of one tween’s diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome / joint hypermobility” is the culmination of that goal.
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About Laurren Darr
Laurren Darr finds joy through the bonds created through pet fashion between humans and their pets. She is on a mission to unleash the overall visibility of the pet fashion industry through empowerment of pet fashion professionals. She has over twenty-five years marketing experience and has consulted with companies of all sizes- specializing in trade show marketing. Darr has won over 40 marketing awards and is a #1 best-selling author.
More importantly, she's been a pug lover since her first rescue of White Pines Tuttie circa age five. Tuttie was a magnificent creature that let little Laurren do everything with her. They played together, bathed together, ate together, and slept in the same bed. Most of all, Tuttie was completely happy to let Laurren dress her up, put clippy earrings and lipstick on her, and push her around in a laundry cart. She understands the deep roots and connections created between humans and animals through fashion because of this kinship. Her book about Tuttie, Lipstick On A Pug, won the Dog Writers Association of America Maxwell Medallion for 2015 Children's Book of the Year.
Her publishing imprint, Left Paw Press, has printed numerous books on pet fashion, pug children's, medical, racing, and coloring. PugDala Coloring Book, a mindfulness coloring book, also won a Maxwell. In August 2013, Laurren combined her marketing experience and lifelong love of pet fashionology to launch the Pet Fashion Guild, an organization created to provide educational materials and tools for pet fashion professionals.
She's been named a "Paw-er Woman" by Fidose of Reality blog and was a 2015 & 16 finalist for Pet Industry Woman of the Year by Women In The Pet Industry. In 2018, Pet Age named her a Woman of Influence. Laurren earned her pet fashion certification from Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City in 2015. Laurren now lives in the Racing Capital of the World in Indiana. Her life is busy with her race car driving son, Zachary Tinkle and geneticist husband, Brad Tinkle.
