MISSISSAUGA, Ontario - s4story -- Award-winning Author & Creator of Bentley Hippo, Argyro Graphy, took a life-changing trauma and turned it into a Children's 5-Book Series. An eye injection procedure that went wrong left Graphy blind in her left eye within a 24 hour period. She felt "victimized" again as flashbacks of childhood bullying she experienced, filled her mind.  Struggling with PTSD, severe anxiety, and major depression, rather than give up, she took her life experiences and turned them into children's books.

Her character Bentley, a loveable green hippo sets off to inspire children to do better, be kinder, accept, and respect each other while teaching valuable lessons such as sharing, gratitude and friendship.  Bentley also encourages children to lend a helping hand to those facing additional daily challenges.  Her latest book in the series (to be released July 30, 2020) reveals that  Bentley is also blind in one eye, and finds himself amongst several other children struggling to stay positive.  Bentley spots a little girl, staring out of the window looking at all the children playing as she awaits her next treatment.

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When asked why Graphy chose to write about this topic, her reply was, "The little girl in the story, Julia is actually a dear friend to me, whom I lost to cancer several years ago. Even from a hospital room, she always looked out for others.  She never allowed me to give up or quit when I had multiple reasons to do so, and so I dedicate this story to her, and in her memory. This is one way that I can honor her and the courage she showed every single day."  Graphy explains how bullying affected her to the point where she did not pursue her dream of writing and now, 40 years later, she not only faced her fears of failure, she has created multiple books that have earned her several awards. Inspiring Children to Never Give Up is a heartwarming story for readers of all ages. More can be found at https://bentleythehippo.com/