Organ Transplants: Making the Most of Your Gift of Life
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.
Organ Transplants: Making the Most of Your Gift of Life
5 Responses to “Organ Transplants: Making the Most of Your Gift of Life”
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March 3rd, 2010 at 2:36 am
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.
Rating: 5 / 5
March 3rd, 2010 at 4:40 am
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.
Rating: 5 / 5
March 3rd, 2010 at 7:12 am
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.
Rating: 5 / 5
March 3rd, 2010 at 8:19 am
There is such a scarce amount of information for families of transplant recipients. In fact, this is the only book on the subject at my local library. I found it extremely helpful and informative for many of the technical questions I had about what my father went through and would continue to endure. (He had a liver transplant 7 years ago.) I wish I had found it years ago! Thank you Robert Finn!
Rating: 5 / 5
March 3rd, 2010 at 8:36 am
This book is an excellent source of information for anyone who is waiting for, already has, or is considering a transplant. It tells everything you want and need to know about this frightening surgery.
My heart transplant took place before (1991) this book was written. I only wish I could have read it in 1990.
Mr. NewHeart – Heart Attack to Transplant and Beyond
Mr. NewHeart (New Heart): Heart Attack to Transplant and Beyond
Rating: 5 / 5