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CNN Live Today

Wild About Harry

Aired June 17, 2003 - 11:44   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, hang in there. Hold on, kids of all ages, just a few more days, the moment you all have been waiting for. That's right. Exactly one minute after midnight on Friday night, the latest book in the Harry Potter series is going to hit the bookshelves. The highly anticipated "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is expected to outsell its predecessors in the first several weeks.
One of the greatest mysteries about the whole Harry Potter phenomenon, though, is just why children love J.K. Rowling's books so much. Well, perhaps the answer is because Rowling loves them back.

One mother can attest to that. She joins us now.

Gina Peca joins us now from Albany, New York to talk about the special bond her little girl, Katie Hoch, formed with J.K. Rowling.

Gina, thank you for coming in and talking with us about this story this morning.

And folks, if you're just tuning in, you've got to stick around and hear this entire story. And if you already heard this story, it bears repeating. It will make your day and your weekend. Trust me.

First off, little Katie, it turns out, had a form of pediatric cancer. And you have our condolences. When we found out she did not survive, that was very sad to hear. But it's amazing to see the story that's being passed on around the world from that.

Tell us how it was that J.K. Rowling actually became a part of Katie's life.

GINA PECA, KATIE HOCH'S MOTHER: Well, a friend of a friend knew how big a fan Katie was of Harry Potter. And when we learned that Katie's cancer was not responding to treatment, I had expressed my sadness that Katie wasn't going to be around for book four. So this friend wrote to the publisher in London, hoping that Harry Potter could send Katie a postcard. And instead, one day, Katie and I were on the computer, and we see an e-mail from J.K. Rowling. And after much screaming, and yelling and excitement and jumping around, Katie immediately wrote back. And that began this beautiful friendship between Joe and my daughter.

HARRIS: And you believe that -- and you can tell it was a very genuine relationship.

PECA: It was. It was. Because I -- you know, I reread Joe's e- mails to Katie, and I see how much she put of herself into them, and how compassionate she was, and how she really listened to what Katie was saying to her about what was going on in Katie's life at the time. And these e-mails were very precious to all of us, because it brought Katie a great deal of joy to have this new friend.

HARRIS: And what did Katie's messages back to J.K. Rowling say about what she was going through? As you as a mother watching that whole thing, what did you get out of what you saw Katie going through?

PECA: Well, you know, Katie is probably the most optimistic person I have ever been in contact with in my life, and her e-mails to Joe were full of joy and excitement about what was going on in her life, her birthday party, her new puppy that was named "Potter Griffendor Hoch," and you know, anything else that was going on. So Katie took the opportunity to really tell Joe what was happening, and Katie was not one to complain at all. So, it was this very happy and friendly correspondence going on.

HARRIS: But then it got to a point, though, where Katie wasn't able to talk. I understand that Katie slipped into a coma.

PECA: What had happened was about three weeks before Katie died, we learned that the cancer had gone to her brain, and that she probably only had a few weeks left. And at that point, I wrote to Joe, and I said, Joe, you know, we're at the end, thank you for all you have done. And Joe wrote back immediately, and said, is there anything I could do? Could I read to her from book four? Which wasn't published. So Joe called our house several times, and the first few times Katie was able to talk to her, but then, you know, as the week progressed, she was no longer able to converse with Joe.

HARRIS: What do you think it is about J.K. Rowling, Joe as you know her, what do you think it is about her? what spark is it that she has got that made her the kind of person to do that, that would call and talk to Katie, even though she knew that Katie couldn't talk back to her? She would stay with her all the way through to the end?

PECA: All I can think is she is an amazing compassionate woman who understands what it's like to be a parent and wanting the best for your child, and I'm still amazed that she took time out of writing that book to write such detailed e-mails to Katie and to call her. And I can only think that she's tops in my book, because she's incredible.

HARRIS: She proved as well, in my eyes, that she also knows what it's like to be a kid still, too.

Just tell the folks before, because I that know Joe, as you know her, doesn't like a lot of publicity for things like this. But she also sent you some money for Katie's foundation.

PECA: Yes, we have a foundation, the Katie Hoch Foundation, and we help children and families while they're battling pediatric cancer. And last November, we received a letter saying that J.K. Rowling was donating $100,000 to Katie's foundation. HARRIS: That's fantastic, absolutely fantastic to hear someone who has reached the pinnacle of their career and has all that they have and can still reach back and touch a child's life like that, and ours as well for having heard this story.

Gina, thank you very much. Good luck to you down the road. Gina Peca, all the best to you and your family.

PECA: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired June 17, 2003 - 11:44   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, hang in there. Hold on, kids of all ages, just a few more days, the moment you all have been waiting for. That's right. Exactly one minute after midnight on Friday night, the latest book in the Harry Potter series is going to hit the bookshelves. The highly anticipated "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is expected to outsell its predecessors in the first several weeks.
One of the greatest mysteries about the whole Harry Potter phenomenon, though, is just why children love J.K. Rowling's books so much. Well, perhaps the answer is because Rowling loves them back.

One mother can attest to that. She joins us now.

Gina Peca joins us now from Albany, New York to talk about the special bond her little girl, Katie Hoch, formed with J.K. Rowling.

Gina, thank you for coming in and talking with us about this story this morning.

And folks, if you're just tuning in, you've got to stick around and hear this entire story. And if you already heard this story, it bears repeating. It will make your day and your weekend. Trust me.

First off, little Katie, it turns out, had a form of pediatric cancer. And you have our condolences. When we found out she did not survive, that was very sad to hear. But it's amazing to see the story that's being passed on around the world from that.

Tell us how it was that J.K. Rowling actually became a part of Katie's life.

GINA PECA, KATIE HOCH'S MOTHER: Well, a friend of a friend knew how big a fan Katie was of Harry Potter. And when we learned that Katie's cancer was not responding to treatment, I had expressed my sadness that Katie wasn't going to be around for book four. So this friend wrote to the publisher in London, hoping that Harry Potter could send Katie a postcard. And instead, one day, Katie and I were on the computer, and we see an e-mail from J.K. Rowling. And after much screaming, and yelling and excitement and jumping around, Katie immediately wrote back. And that began this beautiful friendship between Joe and my daughter.

HARRIS: And you believe that -- and you can tell it was a very genuine relationship.

PECA: It was. It was. Because I -- you know, I reread Joe's e- mails to Katie, and I see how much she put of herself into them, and how compassionate she was, and how she really listened to what Katie was saying to her about what was going on in Katie's life at the time. And these e-mails were very precious to all of us, because it brought Katie a great deal of joy to have this new friend.

HARRIS: And what did Katie's messages back to J.K. Rowling say about what she was going through? As you as a mother watching that whole thing, what did you get out of what you saw Katie going through?

PECA: Well, you know, Katie is probably the most optimistic person I have ever been in contact with in my life, and her e-mails to Joe were full of joy and excitement about what was going on in her life, her birthday party, her new puppy that was named "Potter Griffendor Hoch," and you know, anything else that was going on. So Katie took the opportunity to really tell Joe what was happening, and Katie was not one to complain at all. So, it was this very happy and friendly correspondence going on.

HARRIS: But then it got to a point, though, where Katie wasn't able to talk. I understand that Katie slipped into a coma.

PECA: What had happened was about three weeks before Katie died, we learned that the cancer had gone to her brain, and that she probably only had a few weeks left. And at that point, I wrote to Joe, and I said, Joe, you know, we're at the end, thank you for all you have done. And Joe wrote back immediately, and said, is there anything I could do? Could I read to her from book four? Which wasn't published. So Joe called our house several times, and the first few times Katie was able to talk to her, but then, you know, as the week progressed, she was no longer able to converse with Joe.

HARRIS: What do you think it is about J.K. Rowling, Joe as you know her, what do you think it is about her? what spark is it that she has got that made her the kind of person to do that, that would call and talk to Katie, even though she knew that Katie couldn't talk back to her? She would stay with her all the way through to the end?

PECA: All I can think is she is an amazing compassionate woman who understands what it's like to be a parent and wanting the best for your child, and I'm still amazed that she took time out of writing that book to write such detailed e-mails to Katie and to call her. And I can only think that she's tops in my book, because she's incredible.

HARRIS: She proved as well, in my eyes, that she also knows what it's like to be a kid still, too.

Just tell the folks before, because I that know Joe, as you know her, doesn't like a lot of publicity for things like this. But she also sent you some money for Katie's foundation.

PECA: Yes, we have a foundation, the Katie Hoch Foundation, and we help children and families while they're battling pediatric cancer. And last November, we received a letter saying that J.K. Rowling was donating $100,000 to Katie's foundation. HARRIS: That's fantastic, absolutely fantastic to hear someone who has reached the pinnacle of their career and has all that they have and can still reach back and touch a child's life like that, and ours as well for having heard this story.

Gina, thank you very much. Good luck to you down the road. Gina Peca, all the best to you and your family.

PECA: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com