Jay O’Callaghan has been a storyteller for more than 15 years, writing, directing, producing, and developing music videos, corporate films, advertisements, and short films. Now, his talents have taken him into the world of writing children’s books, where a fertile imagination and wide life experience have provided him a rich store of narrative.
All this, in spite of being diagnosed at the age of 34 with Parkinson’s Disease. He had been diagnosed with Lyme disease eight months earlier.
Jay’s weight plummeted, and his health deteriorated to the point where he was hospitalised and then bound to a wheelchair. The turning point was discovering Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), which works like a pacemaker for the brain and reduces Parkinson’s Disease tremors.
“After a year and a half of seeing doctors and specialists, I was approved to get surgery. Six weeks later, with physio and determination, I walked out of the hospital,” Jay says.
As his functionality returned, Jay went back to work as a chef – another of his skills – but the workload was too demanding.
“I was teaching my children how to grow their own fruits and vegetables, and I decided that the story would make a great children’s book,” Jay says.
“With my screenwriting knowledge and my love for rhyme, I wrote and storyboarded the book with a close friend. I completed the book, then presented it to an assisted self-publisher (Tellwell) and they loved it.”
Watch Things Grow is the first book in a series; the next book will be about cooking the food the children have grown. Jay is one of only 38 self-published children’s authors who have Parkinson’s Disease.
“My aim in writing this book series is to be a positive role model to my children and many generations of children to ‘Never Give Up’ and reach for their dreams. My new aim is to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research to finally find a cure,” he says.
Appropriately, the book will be launched at Jay’s childhood primary school, Birkdale State School, where his own boys are now students.
For more information, go to https://jaylocallaghan.com/ local author launches new children’s book
