To the Edge and Back: My Story from Organ Transplant Survivor to Olympic Snowboarder [Paperback]

Chris Klug (Author), Steve Jackson (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 2004

Displaying faith, courage, and perseverance, snowboard racer Chris Klug battled for years to have his "extreme" sport accepted in the mainstream. He rose through the World Cup ranks and won a bronze medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics less than two years after undergoing a lifesaving liver transplant. Not since Lance Armstrong's It's Not About the Bike has a stricken athlete's story been as poised to transcend the sport. In 1996, during snowboarding's World Cup season, Chris was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis—the same disease that would cause the death of his childhood hero, football great Walter Payton. His four-year wait for a donor came to an end when his rapidly failing liver prompted doctors to move him up on the transplant list. With the shooting death of a thirteen-year-old boy, Chris was given the organ that gave him a second chance at life. From his youth as a high school football hero, to his campaign for snowboarding's acceptance, and through surgery, recovery, and Olympic glory, every setback and victory in Chris Klug's ride is riveting. To the Edge and Back will be cherished as a story of an athlete who represents the best of the human spirit.

Editorial Reviews

Review

After TO THE EDGE AND BACK, don't be surprised if your own desire . . . to aim a little higher becomes undeniable. -- U.S. Snowboarding News

Chris Klug has shown the courage, resolve, and faith that make me proud to call myself a fellow transplant recipient. -- Sean Elliot, former NBA star and transplant recipient

Chris Klug is a model for us all with his courage, perseverance, and will to live.... A true American hero. -- Tommy G. Thompson, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

About the Author

Chris Klug is the first athlete ever to win an Olympic medal after organ transplant surgery. He has compiled four World Cup victories, three Grand Prix wins, five national titles, a U.S. Open victory, a bronze medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics, and is in training for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. He was one of the eight Olympians chosen to carry the Ground Zero flag into the 2002 Winter Games Opening Ceremonies. He lives in Aspen, Colorado. Steve Jackson, from Evergreen, Colorado, is the author of LUCKY LADY, which won the 2003 Colorado Book Award for History.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (November 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786714220
• ISBN-13: 978-0786714223
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,225,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving and Inspirational!!!, November 8, 2004

By 

Michael C. Shea "Mike Shea" (Manchester, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To the Edge and Back: My Story from Organ Transplant Survivor to Olympic Snowboarder (Paperback)

Before picking up the book, everyone should be ready for an incredibly inspiring story. Having survived a liver transplant to return to a professional athletic career, and then win an olympic medal should leave anyone in complete awe. Comparisons to Lance Armstrong and his book campaign will abound. However, in "To the Edge and Back," Klug does much more than just inspire. The story is an incredible one of course, but this piece is also very well written and impeccably put together. Each of the chapters brings the reader to (and sometimes past) the verge of tears, and then moments later has one holding his/her sides in laughter. What will seem to many as a story primarily about overcoming unimaginable odds offers much more as Klug pays homage to his sport, his friends and his family. The book is clearly an influential work for Chris's primary cause of organ donation, and shows readers the importance of the medical miracle and the necessity for more organ donors right here in America. This is a must read for all athletes, but is a moving and entertaining work that should find its way onto bookshelves and bedside tables world wide.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Epic Tale, November 17, 2004

By 

Tad J. Dobson "Tad Dobson" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To the Edge and Back: My Story from Organ Transplant Survivor to Olympic Snowboarder (Paperback)

From the moment I picked up this book I had a tough time putting it down. This book will have you both laughing hysterically and crying. "To The Edge and Back" is not only a truly inspirational story of Chris Klug and his epic story of going from Organ Transplant survivor to Olympic Athlete; it also speaks to the history and character of the sport of snowboarding. From it's beginnings as an "outcast" sport that "will never last" to becoming an Olympic sport, "To the Edge and Back" gives us a peak into what snowboarding (and its athletes) are all about and the obstacles that the sport has had to overcome.

The book tells a story of a dream, and an athlete who refused to ever let go of that dream even while facing head-on the reality of his own impending mortality. Seeing & feeling the impact of organ donation from both sides, both the donor family and the recipient, truly makes this an epic read and a story that needs to be heard/read by all.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellant Book Amazing, January 11, 2005

By 

Michael Mishler (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To the Edge and Back: My Story from Organ Transplant Survivor to Olympic Snowboarder (Paperback)

This is simply an amazing story. From beginning to end, it instills a sense of wanting to go out and live life to the fullest. It has everything a great book should. This book will make you laugh, cry, and appreciate life. A great inspirational story, everyone should have this in his or her collection. This book appeals not only to skiers and snowboarders but also across generations.