Carol Zapata-Whelan, a lecturer in Spanish and Hispanic literature at California State University, Fresno, has published a memoir about the trials and triumphs of life with her son’s rare disorder.

“Finding Magic Mountain: Life with 5 Glorious Kids and a Rogue Gene Called FOP,” recently released by Avalon Publishing Group ($15.95, 320 pages), weaves through a family’s lively history, chronicling Zapata-Whelan’s son’s senior year in high school, preparing for life at an elite college.

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) strikes one in 2 million individuals, turning muscle into bone, but in Zapata-Whelan’s memoir this rare disorder stands for universal challenge in a story about finding joy along life’s steepest paths.

Vincent Whelan, 19, was diagnosed with his rare condition in the middle of a normal childhood.

It is through a process of detective work, adaptation, discovery and triumph in the face of a disabling disorder that Zapata-Whelan learned how to live with faith, humor and solidarity. She shares her son’s example to lend strength and hope.

Zapata-Whelan holds a Ph.D. in comparative literature from UCLA, and has been published in Newsweek, Hispanic Link News Service, Literary Mama, The Rotarian, El Andar,, “Chicken Soup for the Latino Soul: and “Under the Fifth Sun: Latino Literature from California.”

Zapata-Whelan hopes her book will help raise FOP awareness and support research to find a cure. A portion of author proceeds from “Finding Magic Mountain” will go to FOP research at the University of Pennsylvania, Children's Hospital Central California and FOP patient needs.