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10A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, July 18,2018
FROM 1A
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media outlets like Reader’s Digest, the New England Journal of
Medicine and Good Morning America.
“I thought we were on our way to recovery. I really did. And
he was gone a month and a half later,” Porfirio said.
While visiting family over Thanksgiving weekend in 2010,
Tre Porfirio suddenly passed away, leaving a hole in Porfirio’s
heart.
“I, as much as I miss my son, I have the fortune to say ‘my
son’s a hero,’” Porfirio said. “My goal is to make him be
remembered.”
Tre received a Purple Heart in July 2010. A purple heart is
awarded to members of the armed forces who are wounded in
action, are killed in action or die of wounds received in action.
He left behind an 8-month-old son, Landon.
Porfirio, a Dawsonville resident, was inspired to publish his
first children’s book, “My Daddy’s Heart is Purple,” to help chil
dren understand what the medal means just as he tried to help
his grandson understand why his father died.
“Children... they need to be proud,” said Porfirio. “I want my
grandson to be proud of his dad. I want when he grows up to say
‘My daddy didn’t leave me. My daddy had to leave me’ or ‘it
wasn’t his choice’ ... because that’s what kids think. ‘Why did
my daddy leave me? Why did my mommy leave me?”’
For months, Porfirio had the story bouncing around his mind
until he finally decided to sit down and put his story onto paper.
“I always wanted to write a children’s book. Years ago I said
‘if I could do anything I’d write a children’s book. I don’t know
why. Maybe because I was a pediatric nurse,”’ Porfirio said.
Porfirio grabbed his laptop and sat outside in his screened-in
porch and began typing. Within a day he had penned the entire
book.
“I didn’t think I’d publish it. I thought this would be my
book,” Porfirio said as he thumbed through his original hand sta
pled manuscript printed on computer paper.
The hardcover book looks drastically different from its origi
nal state, complete with rich illustrations that look exactly as
Porfirio said he had envisioned.
“I described every scene to the publisher and I was blown
away. I thought they did above my expectations especially the
cover art,” Porfirio said. “I said ‘maybe the man could have a
purple heart and the little boy could have a red heart like shining
through.’ I didn’t have to change it or correct it. They sent it
back and I was just like ‘It’s exactly what I was looking for.’”
After nine long months of working with Covenant Books,
Porfirio made his dream a reality as “My Daddy’s Heart is
Purple” debuted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites June
3.
The book tells the story of a grandfather who tells his inquisi
tive grandson about the Purple Heart sticker he sees on a car.
Porfirio hopes that his story can help little boys and girls cope
with the loss of a military parent and that they will grow up
understanding what their sacrifice means.
Inside the book, Porfirio was careful to make the subject
appropriate for children aged five to 10, and to call the boy in
the story “little one,” so that both boys and girls could relate.
“It’s for everybody,” Porfirio said. “I didn’t want people to
think it was just about my son. It’s about everybody’s son and
daughter.”
Porfirio donated a copy of his book to the Dawson County
Library and said that it should be on shelves in two months. He
also hopes that it will be used by the Tragedy Assistance
Program For Survivors (TAPS) Good Grief Camp for children.
Jessica Brown Dawson County News
Above, Karl Porfirio looks at
his favorite page of his book,
the last page which shows a
grandfather and his grandson
together at the ice cream par
lor. Left, Col. Amanda Gladney
pins a Purple Heart medal on
Senior AirmanTre Porfirio on
July 18, 2010. He received the
honor after undergoing a
groundbreaking procedure
where doctors harvested islet
cells from his bullet ridden
pancreas and transferred them
to his liver to save his life.
SINCE 1928
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