Cindy Lasi
Cindy Lasi is a first-time author, former nurse, and spent nearly 10 years as a manager for a global not for profit organization. Advocacy for those who may not have the means to speak up for themselves has always been important to her. Cindy grew up in a town of 32,000 residents in the Southern most part of Ontario Canada. Living in such a small uneventful area sparked Cindy’s imagination which would allow her to dream big and begin a life of service. This passion and compassion for people lead her to careers that allowed her the opportunity to use her natural gifts and talents in service to others. Cindy is a faithful Christian who believes we can all offer big or small gifts of kindness and compassion. And that a loving heart can inspire and empower those who may not know how to advocate for themselves.
ABCD is for Down was born after a visit to a large Canadian book store. She had brought Noah who was just over a year old at the time. Cindy was looking for a fun lighthearted storybook that featured a child or children of Special Needs. There wasn’t a single book to be found. This bothered Cindy a great deal as she wanted to inspire Noah with characters that were more ‘like him’. So she decided to do something about it. Why aren’t there any books featuring cool cartoon characters who just so happened to be born with Down Syndrome or Special needs? A book that appeals to ALL children. One that is cool and fun, lighted hearted an inspiring the message that ‘different is just different’. “That is not right, time to do something about that!”
“I remember I was back in the city bringing Noah to a doctors appointment. I was passing that book store. I remembered how it affected me not finding any special needs/ inspirational books for Noah.” Suddenly what she can only describe as a ‘download’ began to happen. Images and the text for pages of a book that was an alphabet book, but about so much more began to flood in. “I had to pull over into the shopping center and take notes, the rest is history” she shares with a smile.
Cindy is a loving mother of 4, currently working from home. She intends to continue to share in a fun and inspirational way, her message of inclusion for all children. ABCD is for Down will be followed by a 3 book No Limit Noah Adventure Series. “My dream is to have No Limit Noah books in every bookstore, online retailers, school/hospital libraries, Down Syndrome and Special Needs organizations & associations. Ultimately I would love to see NLN books in the hands of typical children as well.” Cindy is a passionate advocator for disability rights. She has been very intentional over the years to teach others that different is just…. different and that the word NORMAL should be a thing of the past.
Noah for whom the book was written was 21 months when the first edition of this book was published. He is now 12 years old. Noah is thriving in school, social activities and sports today. He recently went zip lining in the Dominican Republic during a cruise vacation. He is in his second year of Karate classes, has played soccer, baseball and loves swimming. He has a very compassionate heart and loves his friends and family immensely. There isn’t anything that stops him from living his life fully. Noah truly embodies the spirit of this book and hopes that all of his readers will truly understand that there really are NO LIMITS!
Cindy – I have always loved to share books with my children. I believe reading with them is a wonderful way to develop imagination and understanding of life from a very early age. Cindy believes children of all abilities as well as their families will enjoy this book. It promotes sound