Ga. Tech Student Writes Inspiring Children's Book & Gives Back

Sammie Hasen,19, a sophomore at Georgia Institute of Technology, majoring in biomedical engineering, has just published her first book entitled “Long Live the Little Ones.” The book spreads awareness through the eyes of children facing critical illnesses such as autoimmune diseases, cystic fibrosis, heart transplants, and pediatric cancer. “Long Live the Little Ones” follows the dreams of 15 kids currently battling illnesses and five survivors who followed their dreams.

Hasen was inspired to write the book following a life-changing conversation she had five years ago during the holiday season with a 9-year-old boy who had stage 3 brain cancer. While the boy quickly became her hero and inspiration that night, she did not get his contact information and has not seen him since.

The message she took away from that conversation is one she wants everyone to know about. He wasn’t sad because of the medical hardship he been through. Instead he chose to be positive and happy. It is her hope that her book will change how society views children with illnesses and they will be treated as normal kids with similar interests in subjects such as sports, toys, junk food, music, and movies. In Hasen’s words, “these kids are stronger than average kids and have dreams.”

The book’s proceeds will benefit three different charities, including Enduring Hearts, Juvenile Arthritis Foundation, and Lighthouse Family Retreat. The book is now available online at http://www.longlivethelittleones.org/ and costs $20 per copy .

“I’m so excited to see this project come to fruition and I’m so thankful for all the amazing support I’ve received from Ella Kosick, a co-producer on this project, as well as an outstanding mentor and friend, my terrific high school Woodward Academy, and ccthrive, a unique nonprofit run by child cancer survivor and U.S. Olympian Bryan Fletcher,” said Hasen. “The boy I met that night showed me that no matter how much I think I am suffering, there is always a bright side. I learned through talking with him that it is up to me to see it or not.

“We are honored Sammie has chosen Enduring Hearts as one of the beneficiaries of her book’s proceeds,” said Carolyn Salvador, executive director at the Marietta-based non-profit Enduring Hearts. “It is extraordinary to see a woman still in school publish a book with such a powerful message and choose three different nonprofit organizations to benefit from its sales.”

Hasen, a College Park resident, is very interested in the subject of medicine and has done research at Emory University regarding the longevity of pediatric heart transplants.

About

Enduring Hearts - Currently one in four children who receive a heart transplant need to get a second one within five years of the procedure. The results of Enduring Hearts funded research projects contribute to the clinical and scientific knowledge about many important aspects of organ transplantation, e.g. the mechanisms of long-term organ deterioration, the consequences of tissue injury, and opportunities to intervene, postpone, and eliminate rejection processes. Enduring Hearts was ranked as a 2015 Top Rated Charity by Great Nonprofits. The organization has raised more than $3 million for research.

Through the Juvenile Arthritis Foundation, the needs of families living with juvenile arthritis (JA) are unique and urgent. In the United States, an estimated 300,000 children have JA or other rheumatic conditions. Multiply that by their parents, siblings, extended family and others, and the number of people affected is astronomical. For almost seven decades, the Arthritis Foundation has upheld our unwavering promise to assist them and their caregivers. The Foundation is boldly leading the JA fight, ensuring easy access to life-changing resources, community and care.

Lighthouse Family Retreat is a faith-based non-profit that exists to strengthen every family living through childhood cancer. The organization hosts restorative retreats and develops valuable resources so that families and their support systems can find hope in God and help in their fight.