About this item
A riveting and inspiring true story of two families linked by one heart - written by a bestselling author and palliative care doctor. . The first of our organs to form and the last to die, the heart is both a simple pump and the symbol of what makes us human; as long as it continues to beat, there is hope. In The Story of a Heart, Dr. Rachel Clarke interweaves the history of medical innovations behind transplant surgery with the story of two children - one of whom desperately needs a new heart. One summer day, nine-year-old Keira Ball was in a terrible car accident and suffered catastrophic brain injuries. As the rest of her body began to shut down, her heart continued to beat. In an act of extraordinary generosity, Keira's parents and siblings immediately agreed that she would have wanted to be an organ donor.
About the Author
Dr Rachel Clarke is a palliative care doctor and writer who lives in Oxfordshire with her husband and two children.Her latest book, The Sunday Times number 3 bestseller DEAR LIFE, has just been shortlisted for the 2020 Costa Book awards, and was long-listed for the 2020 Baillie Gifford Prize. It is based on her work in a hospice and explores love, loss, grief, dying and what matters at the end of life. The Costa biography judges described it as: "A beautifully written, powerfully moving book that tackles an emotive and difficult subject with professional compassion and personal insight." On 28 January 2021, Rachel's new book BREATHTAKING: INSIDE THE NHS IN A TIME OF PANDEMIC will be published. It aims to capture what it was really like inside the NHS for patients, staff and families during the first wave of Covid-19. It is available to pre-order here.Rachel has written for the Guardian, Sunday Times, New York Times, Independent, Telegraph, Prospect, BMJ, NEJM and Lancet. She has appeared on BBC Radio 4 Today, BBC Newsnight, Channel 4 News, BBC Woman's Hour, ITV News and Sky News, among others. Her first book, the Sunday Times bestselling YOUR LIFE IN MY HANDS, depicted life for a junior doctor on the NHS frontline.Rachel cares deeply about helping patients live the end of their lives as fully and richly as possible - and in the power of human stories to build empathy and inspire change. www.doctoroxford.com@doctor_oxford
