After their son was born with a vascular birthmark covering the right side of his face, Martha and Grant Griffin, despite loving their son's birthmark, realized that it made him the object of stares and comments. In order to make sure he knew he was special, the  Griffins wrote “Sam's Birthmark,” the first book it their “What Makes Me Shine” series.

Approximately one in ten babies are born with some form of a vascular birthmark—hemangiomas, port wine stain, or a venous malformation. Early intervention is the key to treatment for both the physical and psychological health of the child. The Griffin's want to help others celebrate what makes each child different and to bring awareness to vascular birthmarks.

This new book offers a straight-forward approach to explaining vascular birthmarks to children, discusses how everyone is different and why that should be celebrated, offers parents tips on how to discuss why every child is unique and special in their own way, discusses the importance of tolerance for others as an early anti-bullying message, and attempts to instill confidence in children by teaching them at an early age to accept their birthmark as “cool.”

Visit  www.samsbirthmark.com for more information, or tell your patients to visit the site if they are interested in learning more.