Personal Experiences and Narratives
It Gets Dark Sometimes: My Sister's Fight to Live and Save Lives, by Jeffrey Marx
"Doctors were saying that 22-year-old Wendy Marx, still and silent in a coma, had just one day to live. For Wendy to survive, the right person had to die. Her story quickly became national news. Then, against all odds, came the Gift of Life: an organ donor and a liver transplant. Her struggles were by no means over. But Wendy was absolutely determined to keep parlaying her near-death experiences into a message of hope for others -- and that is how her name became synonymous with the vital campaign for organ donors. It Gets Dark Sometimes, written by Wendy's brother Jeffrey, is a moving tale of passion and purpose, filled with both triumph and tragedy."
Partial proceeds will go to the Wendy Marx Foundation for Organ Donor Awareness. For more information or to purchase, go to www.transplantbook.com
JAM Publishing, Washington, DC, 2000. $23.
The Nicholas Effect: A Boy's Gift to the World, by Reg Green
The Nicholas Effect is the touching and transcendent book by the father of Nicholas Green, the young American boy who was shot and killed in Italy while on vacation with his family. His organs were donated by his parents to seven Italians. This act led to an outpouring of love by the people of Italy, a sharp increase in organ donor rates, and a deluge of media attention, overseas and in this country. See nicholaseffect.com for photos, audio, sample chapters, and much more.
All the royalties earned by the Greens from sales will go to the Nicholas Green Foundation, dedicated to expanding our understanding of organ and tissue donation. The foundation also helps finance a scholarship fund for gifted children.
O'Reilly & Associates, 1999. ISBN: 1-56592-597-1, 272 pages, $24.95
Dying for Life: The Journey to Transplant, by John Landers
"This book is my story of the journey from a minor stroke to heart transplant and everything in between. It educates, inspires, moves people because it is real, honest and very personal. It is not a medical book, but an off-center journey to the edge of death and back. It is endorsed by some of the most renowned doctors in the field of cardiothoracic surgery and cardiology. And if you don't laugh out loud at least once, you missed something." See a sample chapter, the cover, and a photo of the author and his wife, or see the entire book online at http://www.dnaz.org/book/ !
A Gift from the Heart ...A Sharing of One Man's Heart Transplant Experience by Jim Gleason
...an online version of a book about Mr. Gleason's transplant (including "Some Days are Diamonds") with many articles on subjects like motivation, fear, nutrition, support from family and friends, a reading list, etc. (not available in bookstores)
A Gift of Life: A Page from the Life of a Living Organ Donor, by Lynn Chabot-Long
"This is the extraordinary story of an ordinary family caught in a life or death struggle to save their own." Chabot-Long relates the story of her kidney donation, and the effects of kidney disease and subsequent transplantation on the family involved. See the web page about the book for more information, including ordering.
Je-Lynn Publications, WI, 1996, 200 pages. ISBN 0-9650555-5-8.
How Will They Get That Heart Down Your Throat?: A Child's View of Transplants, by Karen Walton
Karen Walton, a kindergarten teacher was healthy until she developed a serious heart condition called cardiomyopathy, a weakening of the heart muscle. The only thing that could save her life was a heart transplant. After her transplant she wrote a children's book. A kindergarten age student's question inspired the title of the book. The book can be purchased for $21.95. E.M. Press Inc., a Manassas publishing company, will donate a portion of its profit from the book. To order call 800-727-4630.
I'm Glad You're Not Dead: A Liver Transplant Story, by Elizabeth Parr
From the Houston Daily News review: " ...a sometimes harrowing tale of doctors appointments, misdiagnosis, waiting, three false starts to the operating room and finally the transplant itself. Parr is candid in describing the debilitating symptoms and side effects liver patients can expect while awaiting the hoped for transplant. She tells of her own periods of encephalopathy, the clinical term for mental confusion brought on by toxins in the bloodstream. ...And there is in her story the unbudgeable stubbornness that would not allow her to give up hope."See the table of contents and Chapter 1
Journey Publishing, 1996, 160 pages, ISBN 0-9654728-0-9
Email: JourneyPub@aol.com or write: Journey Publishing, 6610 Stewart Road, Suite 16, Galveston, Texas 77551 . The cost is $9.95 + $3.25 shipping & handling.
I've Been Transplanted, by Eugene Sisco
"Twenty years ago, Eugene and his family were transplanted--figuratively. They moved to Eden. A different town, with different people whom themselves were transplanted. It was through these people and this town that young Eugene learned to use humor to cope with feelings of fear, love, and rejection . April 14, 1992 Eugene Sisco was literally TRANSPLANTED and all the characters that helped comfort him as a young boy came back to offer their wit and wisdom." See sample chapters at http://members.tripod.com/~donor/index.html.
PPI Publishing, 1995. 127 pages. ISBN 1-57515-078-6. 9.95 each for 1 to 26 copies, $8.00 each for 27 and up; call 1-800-711-0466 or email eugene@kymtnnet.org.
Life Row, by Ed Linz
Life Row is a case study of how a family can survive a medical crisis. This book also includes 10 steps to survive an extended medical crisis. For more information visit the Life Row web site. Also read the Introduction, and these excerpts:. Chapter 10: The Crash and Chapter 13: Kristi.
Exchange Publishing, WA, 1997, 332 pages. ISBN 0-9656895-0-6.
A Matter of Heart, by Nancy Shank Pedder
This inspirational book is about one woman's triumph over breast cancer and a heart transplant. It's a compelling story about courage, family love, and the sheer will and desire to overcome incredible medical odds. Furthermore this best seller book educates readers about the success of organ donations. A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to the Organ Transplant Fund. The book is available at many local bookstores but also can be purchased by calling 1-888-32BOOKS with a Mastercard, Visa, or American Express. Contact Saturn Press at 17639 Foxborough Lane, Boca Raton, FL 33496 at Telephone number 561- 477-6602 or e-mail drlevinson@saturnpress.com. ISBN 1-885843-08-9, 192 pp, $19.95
Raising Lazarus, by Robert Pensak, MD and Dwight Williams
"Hold me in your mind's eye: a forty-two-year-old man lying on his kitchen floor in the aftermath of a disease that has haunted a bloodline for three generations." This book is the narrative of Dr. Pensack's struggles with a congenital heart condition that eventually leads to his having a heart transplant. It describes his trials before and afterwards, including his bouts of rejection.
G.B. Putnam & Sons, 1994. 317 pages.
Second Chance, by Diane Hebert
In Second Chance Diane Hebert tells the story of her heart-lung transplant in 1985, the first in Quebec. You can see a summary of her experience, learn more about her foundation, or order a copy of Second Chance at the Diane Hebert Foundation's web page.The Diane Hebert Foundation
P.O. Box 95025
Lorraine, (Quebec)
Canada J6Z 4P1
phone: (514) 965-03
A Small Part of Me, by Kenneth Anderson
HTTP://home.ici.net/~kenneth/aspomka.htmMr. Anderson donated a kidney to his brother; this is his account of the experience. See a synopsis of thebook. 50 pages. Softcover: $8 (includes shipping). To order, send a check or money order for $8 (US) to:
Ken Anderson
P.O. Box 141
Rehoboth, MA 02769
Taking Heart, by A.C. Greene
The author, a columnist for The Dallas Morning News, described his experience as the first patient in what was, at the time, the new heart transplant program of the St. Paul Medical Center in Dallas. Mr. Greene provides us with a brisk review of transplantation biology and physiology, some history of transplantation and an inside look at the program in Dallas. Additionally, he had the unique opportunity to return after his own operation to observe another one. Readers will appreciate the book's low-keyed approach, with a minimum of self-reference and lots of humor.
Simon & Schuster, 1990, 209 pages, plus index. ISBN to follow.
Transplants: Unwrapping the Second Gift of Life, by Pat Stave Helmberger
"The inside story of transplants as told by recipients and their families, donor families, and health professionals...Does a transplant recipient develop personality traits of the donor? How does a transplant change your attitude or sex life? How does it affect family members? What are the side effects? From the elation of a successful organ transplant to the struggle of coping with the complications of anti-rejection drugs, this investigative and moving book addresses the questions and dispels the myths."
Chronimed Publishing, 204 pages. ISBN 1-56561-004-0. Limited quantities, but copies may be available at transplant centers and in public libraries.