Christine Wheeler is glad she nearly died.

If she hadn’t, the children’s book “Bella’s Marigold Cake” might not be tagged with her byline, might not be nestled on a shelf in Borders and might not be available for sale on Amazon.com.

But it is. And Wheeler credits her near-death experience for the fact.

Wheeler became afflicted with a disease called colitis in December 2007. When the infection first settled in, Wheeler slighted her symptoms, wriggled into bed and pulled the covers up. She slept a long time but woke up feeling worse. Weak and frightened, Wheeler crawled from bed, wobbled to the car and drove to the hospital.

Doctors said she was lucky to be alive. Their words, which rang with authority, initiated a change in Wheeler.

It was time to stop thinking and start doing, she thought.

When Wheeler was released from the hospital, she set her sights on a goal she had previously tagged to her I’ll-do-it-but-I’ll-do-it-later list. With a new resolve, Wheeler recovered, and when she was well enough she started writing a children’s book — something she had always wanted to do but never got around to.

“Something kind of hit me,” she says. “I realized then that I didn’t have all the time in the world, and I immediately set out to do it.”

But why a children’s book? Wheeler feels linked to younger crowds. She spent a chunk of her life as a stay-at-home mother with her three children, now ages 23, 19 and 16. When her children were younger, Wheeler grew excited on the days she would cart them to the library to pick out a fresh stack of books. She liked to look at the new selections nearly as much as they did.

So writing one of her own seemed natural. It took Wheeler a week to finish her first book, “Bella’s Marigold Cake” ($18.50, Eloquent Books).

Wheeler based it on a childhood experience that manages to still stick out decades later.

A 6-year-old Wheeler was building sand creations — cakes, pies and flowers — when another little girl leapt into the sandbox and stomped out the artwork. Wheeler was emotionally wounded but managed to become the girl’s friend later.

The book mirrors the event and it targets children ages 3 to 7.

Wheeler’s son Bryan, whose name is written on the dedication page, respects his mother for finishing the book.

“I know it was something she’s really wanted to do, and I’m glad she really did it,” he says. “I’m proud of her.”

Wheeler’s not finished writing. She’s working on another book. This time, the leading character will be based on her cat, Ty, a moody half-Siamese breed.

Wheeler’s glad she nearly died. Now she knows what to do while she’s still alive.