Nick’s New Heart by Susan May

Author Susan May delivers a heartwarming and powerful account of her son’s incredible journey of survival in Nick’s New Heart: 30 Years and Counting…

This stirring memoir is a testament to love, resilience in the face of life’s challenges, and the power of faith that fuels this compelling and compassionate family. The first half of the book largely covers the trauma and perpetual anxiety of Nick’s uncertain first year of life after heart transplantation, painfully penned through the eyes of his watchful mother. Capturing that amount of grief and worry in prose is daunting, but May is fearless in her vulnerability, as both a deeply human witness and a writer.

When a story is as poignant and dramatic as this one, there is no need for hyperbole; the drama lives and breathes on every page, even after those first tentative years. Some of the writing does become more procedural after the detailed blow-by-blow of that first year, and the next 10 years of life seems to pass in a chapter or two. However, Nick’s high school and college years have more than their fair share of surprises, and while the memoir becomes more reflective and philosophical as Nick grows older, the impact of the story is no less potent.

Layered with raw moments of pain, and exultant moments of hope, this is a tremendously touching book that will uplift and inspire.

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