Larry's screenwriting career took an unexpected turn when he returned to Canada to care for his terminally-ill father, and a serious car accident left him unable to write. While his physical injuries eventually healed, Larry's debilitating depression triggered by the dark Canadian winter did not. Diagnosed with severe Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), he rejected antidepressant medications in favor of 'light therapy'. This alternative treatment required daily visits to the hospital for a 1-hour exposure to a table-top light box that used bulky fluorescent tubes.

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Larry quickly discovered the benefits of light therapy but wondered why there weren't more portable and convenient options with shorter treatment times. Inspired by necessity, the idea struck him like lightning during a cross-country flight. By the time the plane landed, he had fully formed the concept in his mind, including the handheld design and the name: Litebook.

Larry pitched his idea to several major light box manufacturers, but faced rejection each time. Unwilling to accept defeat, he decided to take matters into his own hands. Over the course of two years, he embarked on a quest that led him to collaborate with two engineers. Fortunately, they had received advance word about a groundbreaking new white LED technology from Japan. These tiny LEDs proved to be the game-changer for Larry’s invention: not only could the device now be compact, but the white LEDs’ light output was optimized for therapy, resulting in considerably shorter treatment times.

With this breakthrough, Larry founded The Litebook Company and patented his invention, and launched Litebook 1.0 in 2001, thanks to seed capital from early investors. About the size of a portable CD player, it was as effective as bulkier light boxes but with much shorter treatment times.