A diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease at age 43 brought life’s priorities into sharp focus for Vancouver based author, Jane Hutchison.

The disease, which affects the brain’s ability to send impulses to the body’s nerves and muscles, is as yet incurable and Jane realized she could no longer keep her dreams bottled up inside.

One of those dreams was to publish the story of Kerwin the Ketchup Bottle, a bath time story she made up 15 years earlier for her son Sam. Working closely with friend and illustrator Charlene Duncan, Hutchison wrote the story of Kerwin, a friendly ketchup bottle who fears being discarded when he’s emptied of his ketchup but instead finds new life as Sam’s bath toy.

Just as Kerwin was recycled to find usefulness and happiness, Jane too is finding solace and energy in her “recycled” role as a children’s author.

Kerwin the Ketchup Bottle is published by Trafford Publishing of Victoria and proceeds from the sale of Kerwin the Ketchup Bottle will be donated to the Pacific Parkinson’s Research Centre at U.B.C. to hasten a cure.

For more information about Jane Hutchison or Kerwin the Ketchup Bottle please visit www.kerwintheketchupbottle.com.

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