Sudden blindness can make great changes in a person’s life. Paola Peretti, who is an Italian language teacher and a novelist, was only 14 years old when she became very short-sighted and after three years, she was diagnosed with a retinal disease which made her blind. However, she did not let her disability hinder her passion for writing.

Her condition inspired her to write the children’s book entitled The distance between me and the Cherry tree. The novel is about the girl named Mafalda, who has the same case and fear as she has. According to the author, writing the book was not easy but she was able to finish it by finding solutions to every problem.

Because of the book, Peretti was able to encourage children to be brave, to reach out for the stars and to live our lives with whatever we have. Moreover, Peretti revealed that she is working on her next book.