Dear Nicholas Sparks : A charity writes 365 letters to author Nicholas Sparks to raise Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness.

On January 1, 2015, an open letter blog was created in high hopes that one mom, along with other determined parents and friends, could implore author Nicholas Sparks to write a book that included a family dealing with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) to raise awareness of this birth defect. CDH affects 1600 babies each year in the United States, taking the lives of 800 of these children. The cause is unknown, and there is little awareness and virtually no research funding. CDH is as common as Spina Bifida and Cystic Fibrosis. Ms. Ireland founded CDH International in 1995, yet the world still does not know about this monster. It was her wild idea to convince Nicholas Sparks to support the cause and give these children a voice. To do what she hasn't been able to do - tell the world about Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. One book by Mr. Sparks that includes CDH can open doors to save the lives of 1000's of these children. Mr. Sparks has yet to decide to include Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia in one of his books, and even 6 years later, the affected families have yet to give up hope. Books by Nicholas Sparks always include these 3 things; (1) a death, (2) North Carolina, (3) love. The families at CDH International have that in spades, and many, including Ms. Ireland, have offered their own personal stories to serve as inspiration. "Mr. Sparks always includes a death in his storylines, and often, death occurs before the book begins with someone grieving. He's written about child loss before, so why not Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia instead of using cancer again or other very well-known diseases and tragedies that everyone already knows? Whether a child has died from prematurity or a heart defect, cancer, or Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, if the character is already gone, would it affect the storyline? Or would it raise a bit of awareness for 10,000's of children facing a very traumatic congenital anomaly? Simply raising awareness raises hope and Mr. Sparks can give that hope with the swift motion of a pen much more than CDH International has been able to do in over 25 years," says Dawn Ireland, primary author of the book who has met Mr. Sparks several times already. Ms. Ireland is also President and Founder of CDH International and a grieving mom herself, having lost her 6-year-old son, Shane Torrence, to Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. CDH International is the world's oldest, largest, and leading Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia charity, working in 74 countries, registered in 6 countries, serving over 6500 affected families, raising and awareness and promoting research since 1995. 1 year, 365 letters, 1 goal - to save these invisible children. To save the cherubs. ---- 100% of proceeds from sales of this book go to CDH International to help fight Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.