Were you wondering about that word at the top of my page?
Amputeddy is a creation of Jean Boelter and myself from way back in 1988. I made a bear for her with a left-leg amputation like hers. Yes, my aunt Jean lost her leg to a tumor when she was just five years old. The idea took off as she showed her bear to her other amputee friends. We devised the name together and then she began looking in to manufacturing the bears. At first they were all hand-sewn by family members.
In 2005 I co-wrote three books with my dear aunt Jean. These were designed to go with the bears and be another, less expensive way to help children with amputations come to terms with their new challenges, and also help children to relate to adults in their lives with amputations. These bears and the books have really made a big difference in people’s lives.
Aunt Jean passed away in 2010 from cancer. She is missed very much by many people. I dedicated my first book to her, and modeled a character after her in my next book.
I’m reprinting the Amputeddy books (now that I know how to do that)! It is a slow process, since the original files seem to have been lost. I am scanning them in one page at a time and learning how to format a picture book on CreateSpace and in ebook form.
I have a CreateSpace link, though it isn’t yet active, and some more information here: https://katepolicani.com/amputeddy-books/
Kate Policani 