by Jeffrey W. Young

In my twenty three years of transplant surgery practice, I have never read words so simple, yet so accurate and profound, as those in Jeff Young's story of facing and transcending the adversity of chronic illness. In language, both instructive and clear, he deftly simplifies the concepts of organ failure and transplantation. He speaks that greatest of all languages, the language of the heart, and the reader cannot help but be deeply motivated and inspired. The book's dual perspectives of Jeff's personal experiences, both as a patient and a health care provider, along with the skillful clinical descriptions of the many types of organ failure, provide the reader with a sound foundation for dealing with that moment in life when a patient is told he/she is no longer NORMAL. The didactic section instructs on how the body functions when organs are damaged, explains how transplants are performed, outlines the warning signs and symptoms of complication, and presents a concrete plan for preventing and addressing such complications. Here Jeff has masterfully found the balance between clarity and depth. The final section in which public statements from transplant recipients give a name and face to the many patients helped by live and deceased donor transplantation, is truly inspirational. --Dr. Santiago R. Vera FACS Director Liver Transplantation University of Tennessee, Memphis