You Will Be Healthy, You Will Be Happy
The amazing true story of Milena, an artist and healer, after her three-year old son was diagnosed as being in the autistic spectrum.
You Will Be Healthy, You Will Be Happy
Written as a series of conversations between herself and good friend and writer Leonidas Kossis, Milena recounts all the major events and difficult choices during her ten-year struggle to fulfill the promise she'd given to her child upon birth: "You will be healthy, you will be happy."
A warm reflection of Milena's unique personality, the book is brimming with profound knowledge, experience, and advice.
The Story
On the 7th of July, 1998, on the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, Milena, a gifted painter and healer, lay in a maternity ward holding her newborn child in her arms, whispering in his ear the first words he was meant to ever hear: “I promise you, my love: You will be healthy… You will be happy…”
Three years later, Milena stood before a doctor in Phoenix, Arizona, being told that her child was Autistic, and that he had no prospect of ever leading a “normal” life. Devastated, but refusing to surrender to any such fate, Milena shook off her despair and decided to lead her son out of the labyrinth herself.
The book follows Milena’s heroic journey between that gloomy Arizona afternoon and the glorious day in the spring of 2006, when the medical board of Phoenix revoked her eligibility to receive state childcare services, on the grounds that her son was no longer considered to be in the Autism Spectrum.
“You Will Be Healthy, You Will Be Happy” is a somewhat daring and unique project. It is in essence a practical guide for parents of autistic children, held together by a story with plentiful true-to-life drama. Much of the information contained within rests on hard science, adeptly tempered by a quirky in-your-face style, typical of Milena’s personality, and an underlying spiritual approach, nurturing to tired souls.
"You Will Be Healthy, You Will Be Happy" is a collaboration between Milena and Leonidas Kossis.
The book, 367 pages in paper-book format will be available at major booksellers by fall of 2025. Register if you would like to be informed of its release.