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It's 3 a.m. here in cardio-thoracic. All I can
do for now is doze, and think, and doze again.
My heart is getting weaker, my body bluer.
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The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae
~ by Stephanie Butland, 2018, fiction
This story is about a heart transplant patient who spent the first 28 years of her life dying while she waited to get onto the transplant list and then waiting again for a suitable heart, knowing that someone else has to die in order for her to survive. When she gets her new, second-hand heart, she then has to learn to live — not live again, but live for the first time. How does one live a normal life when they’ve never had a normal life? Ailsa embarks on a journey about what it means to be alive — and to feel alive.
Her father skipped out when he learned that his newborn daughter was dying from a defective heart. Now her ex-boyfriend is dying from liver failure due to hepatitis and is in need of a transplant to save his life. Blog posts by Ailsa are interspersed throughout the book. The author brings out the real issues faced by all sides — donors, recipients, families, friends, life before, and life after.
1 comment:
This sounds like a good one, Bonnie! I imagine it will be an emotional and heartfelt read. I hope you are enjoying it. Have a great weekend!
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