Former junior hockey star and longtime friend team up to write book for kids

At first, Ajay Baines wasn't keen on the idea.

Longtime friend and author Sean Campbell had approached him with the notion of writing a book about Baines's life in hockey, and the challenges he had overcome after a diabetes diagnosis in his teen years.

Baines — a former junior star with his hometown Kamloops Blazers who went on to play professionally for 10 seasons — was leaning toward saying no.

But when Campbell suggested the book could be for kids, Baines changed his mind.

"We were both fathers at the time, and … it's a completely different perspective," Baines said on CBC's Daybreak Kamloops. "The more he talked about it, and read parts of the book to me, I was like, 'That sounds really cool, and let's do it.'"

Today the book is on the virtual shelves of Amazon. Co-authored by Campbell and Baines, and illustrated by Lana Lee, it's called Stand Out: The True Story of Hockey Hero Ajay Baines.

Through its gentle, sing-songy way of relaying Baines's story, it aims to inspire youngsters to work hard and never give up on their dreams.

Baines, who was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 16, said his first concern was whether he would still be able to play hockey.

Diabetes prevents a person's body from making enough insulin, and low insulin levels can result in fatigue, an irregular or fast heartbeat, headaches, nausea and other symptoms. People with diabetes must monitor their blood sugar levels and take insulin injections when necessary.

But when Baines's doctor asked him if he had heard of Bobby Clarke — a legendary member of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers in the 1970s and 1980s — and then told him Clarke was diabetic, Baines said he knew he could continue with his own career.

"Right away, you're like, 'Oh, so you can play