Tabitha Andrews Orth

About the author

Tabitha Andrews Orth is a dedicated author and advocate based in Beaverton, Oregon, USA. In 2000, she published Visual Recipes, an innovative cookbook designed for non-readers. Her advocacy for people with developmental disabilities earned her the Justin Dart Award in 1996 and the Community Partnerships Award in 1998. In 2022, she was honored with the Point of Light Award for her impactful work in the autoimmune encephalitis community.

She founded the International Autoimmune Encephalitis Society, a non-profit organization that has supported patients and families around the world since 2016. Her most recent project, IMA RARE, continues her commitment to empowering individuals affected by rare diseases.

About the illustrator 

Julia King, from Australia, makes her debut as a book illustrator. She is currently in her ninth year of battling a brain disease called anti-NMDAr autoimmune encephalitis. Following her diagnosis, she began drawing zebras as a way to process and communicate her complex symptoms and experiences to her family and friends. Because of her ongoing health challenges, the illustrations took two years to complete.