Organ Transplants: Making the Most of Your Gift of Life (Paperback)

~ (Author), Reg Green (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

More than 60,000 Americans each year face the prospect of needing a new heart, kidney, liver, lung, or pancreas. Most wait for months, even years, to receive a donated organ. For those with illnesses for which transplantation may be the last hope, journalist Finn has written a comprehensive guide to a complex, sometimes frightening world. He explains how selection decisions are made and how organ procurement systems work; dispels commonly held myths about donation; provides a description of the immune system and the drugs used to control rejection; illustrates through individual cases what the actual process of waiting for and finally receiving an organ is like; discusses the different surgical procedures required for each type of organ transplant; examines the postsurgical physical and emotional roller coaster typically experienced by patients and their supporters; and offers practical suggestions for handling the financial costs not only of the transplant surgery itself but lifelong medical expenditures. Liberally sprinkled with comments from actual recipients, their families, and members of the transplant teams, this book is an excellent resource. Appendixes include Internet discussion groups, mailing lists and other web sites, pharmaceutical and financial assistance programs, and contact information for scores of transplant-related organizations. Highly recommended.
-Anne C. Tomlin, Auburn Memorial Hosp. Lib., NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

Over 64,000 people in the US are living in limbo, awaiting an organ transplant. The good news is that transplants are becoming fairly routine surgical procedures and they do work miracles. People who have been ill for years often describe a feeling of being reborn after a transplant. However, those families who have been told that a loved one needs a transplant to live are thrust into a strange and worrying land. Organ Transplants: Making the Most of Your Gift of Life answers the concerns of families in this difficult situation, including:

Deciding whether to have a transplant and choosing a transplant team The importance of the screening interview What factors go into determining a match, and what to do while waiting Detailed information on heart and lung, liver, kidney and pancreas, and other transplants Anti-rejection drugs and living with a transplant Emotional responses and support Specific situation such as living donors, transplants in children, meeting the donor family, etc.

Robert Finn, medical journalist and author, has interviewed dozens of patients, family members, and medical experts to present you with the latest facts about transplantation--as well as the stories behind them.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: Patient Center Guides; 1 edition (February 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156592634X
• ISBN-13: 978-1565926349
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #913,980 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #15 in

  Books > Health, Mind & Body > Disorders & Diseases > Organ Transplants

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo, January 21, 2001

By A Customer

As a clinical social worker that works with patients facing the possibility of organ transplantation, I picked up this book with the hope that it would be something I could recommend to patients. It did not disappoint me! Very well written and comprehensive, it gives a huge amount of information in an easy to understand format. It is also a very interesting read - I had a hard time putting it down! It is a great starting point for people that are just beginning to learn about transplant. I will be strongly recommending it to all patients and families that I meet as part of the pre-transplant evaluation process.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Addresses my specific concerns well, August 21, 2000

By	David E. Levine (Peekskill , NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

My tissue matched up as a kidney donor for a friend who is on dialysis. I needed a reference that would answer my questions as I look down the road to my surgery as a donor. This book, while geared to recipients, addressed my concerns. There are several general chapters that most readers will want to read. Then, the book continues with chapters relating to specific concerns such as heart transplants, kidney transplants, each of the other organ transplants, relationships with the surviving family members of a donor, financial considerations, rejection of the organ, etc. The book clearly explains the system for getting on the "list" and the wait until a donor is found. It also describes the day of surgery as the recipient "gets the call" that an organ has been found. The surgery for each of the different types of organ transplants is lucidly explained. My main interest is living donors and there is a fine chapter on that topic. I found myself reading the book, nearly from cover to cover because I enjoyed educating myself on all aspects of transplants. The only chapter I skipped was one that is very specific on the medical regimen for combating rejection. However, for a potential recipient, this chapter would be of crucial interest (although of little interest to me as a donor). The information is very well organized and anyone with questions about transplants will find this book to be an indispensible reference.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Grateful Heart Transplant Patient, April 12, 2000

By A Customer

I am a recent addition to the UNOS heart transplant waiting list and I have found locating information regarding organ transplantion rare. I was shown this book at my cardiac rehab facility and I am now online to order a copy for my family and I. I found this book to cover all major subjects relating to organ transplants. It is broke down in sections for easy reference. I was most impressed with the details of the surgeries for the different types of transplants and the insert of dialog from transplant receipents and medical personnel. I truly am very grateful to have read this book and I know that I will read it time and time again. This is also an opportunity for my family and friends to understand what is going to happen to me and how they can best deal with it. Thank you to Robert Finn for a job well done.