Listowel’s Emma to donate portion of book sales to ‘A Better Life for Livie’
IT’S the little things in life which matter the most, and Listowel author Emma Larkin wants to play her small part in helping a charity campaign that has gone viral around the country.
Emma, who is the author of much-loved children’s books such as ‘Izzy’s Magical Camogie Adventure’ and ‘Izzy’s Magical Football Adventure’, announced last week that she would be donating €2 from the sale of every book to the ‘A Better Life for Livie’ fund-raiser.
It is a fund-raiser which has taken off at national level, with people all over Kerry and further afield taking part in different challenges to raise vital funds for nine-month-old Olivia ‘Livie’ Mulhern, who has been diagnosed with a rare and serious genetic neuromuscular condition called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1.
SMA is caused by a gene deletion, which results in deterioration of Livie’s nerve cells connecting her brain and spinal cord to her body’s muscles. There is no cure, and Livie has the most severe type of SMA.
Her parents have set up the fund-raiser to help raise the $2.1million needed to undergo the once-off treatment in the US.
Speaking to The Kerryman about her decision to help out the campaign, Emma said it’s a small way of helping out in what is a “heart-wrenching” story.
“The PRO of a ladies club up in Donegal, he contacted me because some of the girls up there had bought some of my books. They were doing their own fund-raiser for Livie, and they wanted people to give shout outs for that, and so that was how the whole thing first came to my attention,” said Emma.
“I was looking at it and I thought, ‘is there anything that I could do?’, because obviously it’s a heart-wrenching story, and I knew I wanted to do something for charity, and so that is where the idea came from,” she continued.
“I know it’s only something small really, but even if it helps a little, that’s what matters,” she said.
Anyone looking to buy books from Emma, and in the process help little Livie, you can head to Emma’s website at emmalarkinbooks.com, where they are on sale for €9.