She has written and self-published a children's book, titled It's OK!.
Jo and husband Ben farm near Waitahuna and have two children, Jake (8) and Cody (10), who has special needs.
"Cody inspired the book, but it's not completely about him and his experiences," she said.
After she wrote the book, Cody was diagnosed with Sanfillipo syndrome, a rare genetic, degenerative condition, also known as MPS3.
Mrs Heslop knows of five children in New Zealand with the condition, and said it had no cure.
"I want every school in New Zealand to have this book - it's for every child to read and understand."
She said the story was told from the point of view of an unidentified child who meets Brody, a boy with special needs attending the storyteller's school. The narrator gets to know Brody, and discovers there are bonuses to being Brody's friend, as well as things that he needs a little extra help with.
Friend and illustrator of the book Annie Roska included a rabbit detail in every illustration as Cody loves the animal.
"Annie is hugely talented. The pictures look exactly the way I had imagined them," Mrs Heslop said.
Earlier this month, Mrs Heslop held book launches in Te Anau and Lawrence.
She has had only positive feedback about the book and has heard from other parents in similar situations.
Cody has been granted a wish from the Make a Wish Foundation, which will see the family returning to Bluff Station in Kekerengu, Marlborough, where Cody was born, and they will camp out in a hut in the back-country. They hope to see lots of rabbits during their stay.
The book is stocked at Paper Plus in Dunedin and Balclutha, the University Book Shop in Dunedin and smaller retailers in the wider area.
Money from the book will go towards medicine for Cody, which has to be imported from the United States.
