Customer Reviews

I'm Glad You're Not Dead : A Liver Transplant Story, 2nd edition

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I was screened to be a living liver donor to a young woman who was in dire need of a transplant. I was ruled out since the MRI revealed that because of a complexly shaped vascular system in my liver, I was in danger of bleeding to death during the surgery. I continued to support this young woman and watched her slowly weaken to the point where she was near death. Then, at the last possible moment, she got a liver from a cadaver & she is doing great (I pray that her renewed good health will continue). I read this book and enjoyed learning about the author's transplant experience, Despite a writing style that at times I found hard to follow, I nonetheless found this book to be informative. When the author had her transplant in 1994, the system for finding a cadaver's liver was different than now. Under the former system, the author got one long before she was in critical condition. Nonetheless, the surgery took a lot out of her. The details of her wait for the liver, false alarms that one was available, the surgery and her recovery are all well documented. She also writes about the experiences of other recipients in ther support group. From my own experience, I now know that a recipient must be near death to get a cadaver's liver .. i.e. those in greatest need, not those in need for the longest period, get the liver first. Still the details of liver disease and the adventure of such major, life saving surgery is timeless. The book is not overly long; the author tells the story without straying to side issues that clutter the narrative. Nonetheless, I thought the narrative could have been a little more coherently written. All in all, I highly recommend this book to those interested in the subject.

Ms Parr's book is a must read for anyone awaiting a liver transplant. She tells about her illness and the lead up to her surgery, her surgery and her recovery.

This book single handedly put us back on track without fear and panic. Ms. Parr thank you for sharing with us and making us realize that this is possible and we can do it.

Along with this book Ms. Parr's "Coping with an Organ Transplant" is also a must read.