SAN DIEGO — It's not every day a 14-year-old child writes a book to support a sick sibling. In this Zevely Zone, I went to Del Cerro to meet Max Namazy, who suffers from a rare blood disorder.
Max is 14 years old and ever since he was a toddler, he has needed ongoing treatment from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
"I was like really sick and I was tired," said Max.
The Del Cerro boy has a twin sister named Sophia and he says when he hurts, "I just feel something here, it's like a little tingle or something. She's probably worried about me worried about what's going to happen to me."
I interviewed the twins at their home.
"He's just really strong and he's been through a lot so I think other kids should look up to him," said Sophia, Max's twin sister.
When Sophia announced she wanted to write a children's book and dedicate it to her brother, Max had his doubts.
"Well, I mean, she could write a book but I just didn't think she would write a book," said Max.
But two years later, the book sits on their coffee table, published and all.
"Pigtails, Ponytails and Fairytales," Sophia told me is the name of her book.
When you flip through the book, if the main character looks familiar she should, Sophia based it on her little sister Poppy.
"My sister would wake up with crazy knotted hair so I would draw about it and sketch about it," said Sophia.
I asked Poppy just how crazy her gets in the morning.
"Like really crazy, like frizzy, " said Poppy.
All proceeds from the book will benefit children at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
"Absolutely it's available right now on Amazon," said Jennifer and David Namazy - the proud parents of the patient, the author and the muse.
"This book really is all in the family," I said.
"This is really a group effort, absolutely. Everybody is included in it," said Jennifer laughing.
Sophia says when you have a twin you know that person like a book. So she figured why not write one for Max.
"I hope to raise enough to help support the cancer institute," said Sophia.
The book is available on Amazon. If you want to purchase a copy of your own, click here.