Toronto Island author publishes historical fiction about child with disability

Talia Ricci · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 19, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 22 minutes ago

A Toronto Island writer is celebrating the merchandise of her caller book.

Let's Go, Darby! is based connected a existent communicative astir a lad successful the 1800s who was disabled and made a harrowing travel to The Hospital for Sick Children, present known as SickKids Hospital, for a surgery.

Linda Rosenbaum says her purpose is to advocator for the inclusion of children with illnesses and disabilities successful literature.

"I deliberation a batch of kids who are sick oregon person disabilities volition subordinate to it, but what I'm uncovering is that adults are truly enjoying it excessively due to the fact that there's truthful overmuch Toronto past successful it," said Rosenbaum, who is the parent of a kid with a disability.

The mediate people publication tells the communicative of Georgie Titus, who is 10 years aged and has clubfoot. He's unable to walk and gets bullied by kids astatine school.

Georgie hears astir a caller children's infirmary successful Toronto wherever they "perform miracles." He is determined to go and makes a 65-kilometre journey from Uxbridge by dogsled to the hospital's beforehand doors.

During his months-long enactment astatine the infirmary and its summertime location connected Toronto Island, miracles bash happen, mostly unexpected. With the assistance of his beloved caregiver and first-ever friends, Georgie gains the courageousness and assurance helium needs to instrumentality the adjacent large steps successful his life. 

"It's humanities fabrication and you've got to get everything close of the play that you're penning about," Rosenbaum said. 

"So I spent virtually six months astatine the archives astatine SickKids trying to get each the background."

Sherry Caldwell, manager of the Ontario Disability Coalition, says books similar Lets Go, Darby! assistance kids with disabilities consciousness represented.

"It's truly important, particularly now, that radical are reasoning astir our children and that they're seeing themselves successful the satellite and tin visualize themselves successful each sorts of roles and consciousness included," she said.

This month, SickKids Hospital marked 150 years.

The infirmary started arsenic an 11-room location with conscionable six robust cots, rented by a radical of women. Rosenbaum says the publication is besides intended to admit the hospital's contributions to wellness care.