How to Live Like Lorelei

What does it really mean to live with courage, joy, and hope-even when life feels impossibly hard? How to Live Like Lorelei invites children into the colorful world of a little girl who showed everyone around her how to do just that.

Inspired by the real Lorelei, who lived with a rare mitochondrial disease, this whimsical picture book celebrates the lessons she taught about resilience, love, and belonging. Paired with the memoir Live Like Lorelei, this children’s companion brings her wisdom to life for younger readers through playful storytelling and heartfelt art.

Lorelei’s secrets for fun days, tough days, and in-between days are shared through vibrant watercolor illustrations. With her signature pink wheelchair, rainbow-striped shirt, and her little brother Benji always by her side, Lorelei reminds children that:

Being different is something to celebrate.
Every child deserves to be seen, valued, and included.
Hope can shine through, even in the darkest moments.

How to Live Like Lorelei is more than a story-it’s an invitation for kids to carry her lessons into their own lives. Families will find comfort in its message, classrooms will discover opportunities for conversations about empathy and inclusion, and children will delight in the joy and color woven through every page.

Perfect for families, teachers, children’s hospitals, grief centers, and libraries, this book offers disability visibility, encouragement, and timeless reminders of love, laughter, and resilience. Whether read aloud at bedtime or shared in a circle of friends, Lorelei’s light continues to shine-showing us all how to live a little more boldly, joyfully, and hopefully.

Author Biography

Susan B. Geoghegan is a writer, podcaster, artist, TEDx speaker, and mama to two extraordinary children, Lorelei and Benji. She is the founder of The Apricity Hope Project, a nonprofit that creates healing spaces and retreats for caregivers of medically complex children. Through her work, Susan weaves together grit, grief, and stubborn hope – always with a side of wit and humor.She believes in pie as a food group and hope as a daily practice. When she’s not at home being a medical mom, you can find her dreaming of pirate life in a camper van, chasing salt air and colorful sunsets.Follow Susan for stories that remind us even in the messiest chapters, light still breaks through.