My Name Is Cynthia

About the Book

My Name is Cynthia is the life story of someone living with developmental disabilities. The story is written by her mother, Sally Birch, as her daughter would tell it if she were able to do so. It tells of Cynthia’s love of family, joy of life, and struggles with her desire to be normal. The subtitle, “I’m More than Special Needs,” provides the inspiration for this book. It was a difficult book to write, but it is written in hopes that others might gain understanding of individuals and families living with similar circumstances and maybe even move some parents of children with difficulties to write a diary or book of their own.

About the Author

My mother was born on June 20, 1937, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and has resided in Michigan her entire life. She graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School in 1955, John Robert Powers Finishing School of New York that same year and attended Western Michigan College for undergraduate studies in Business Administration. She owned and managed two businesses: Kalamazoo Ordinance Systems and Birch Travel of Marquette, Michigan. This is her second published book. The first, “My Ryskamp Family Heritage” was written in 2014. She and her husband, Bill, enjoy a blended family of seven children, twenty-grandchildren, three great grandchildren and pet dog, Daisy. They reside happily in Kalamazoo, Michigan.