A donor is found with a compatible heart, and Katie undergoes transplant surgery. While recuperating, she meets Josh Martel and senses an immediate connection. When Katie decides to start training to realize her dream of running again, Josh helps her meet the difficult challenge.
Will Katie find the strength physically and emotionally to live and become a winner again?
From the corner of her eye, Katie saw a boy with red hair who was about her age. He stood near the doorway, looking nervous. With a start, she realized he was watching her because he kept averting his gaze when she glanced his way. Odd, Katie told herself. Katie had a nagging sense she couldn’t place him. As nonchalantly as possible, she rolled her wheelchair closer, picking up a magazine as she passed a table.
She flipped through the magazine, pretending to be interested, all the while glancing discreetly toward the boy. Even though he also picked up a magazine, Katie could tell that he was preoccupied with studying her. Suddenly, she grew self-conscious. Was something wrong with the way she looked? She’d thought she looked better than she had in months when she’d left her hospital room that afternoon. Why was he watching her?
Katie is also featured in the novels Please Don’t Die, She Died Too Young, and A Season for Goodbye.
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT SARAH,
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Excerpt from Mother, Help Me Live by Lurlene McDaniel
Copyright © 1992 by Lurlene McDaniel
Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers
a division of Random House, Inc.
1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036
All rights reserved
Sarah McGreggor is distraught when she learns she will need a bone marrow transplant to live. And she is shocked to find out that her parents and siblings can’t be donors because they aren’t her blood relatives. Sarah never knew she was adopted.
As Sarah faces this devastating news, she is granted one last wish by an anonymous benefactor. With hope in her heart, she begins a search for her birth mother, who gave her up fifteen years ago. Sarah’s life depends on her finding this woman. But what will Sarah discover about the true meaning of family?
Didn’t the letter from JWC say she could spend it on anything she wanted? What could be more important than finding her birth mother? What could be more important than discovering if she had siblings with compatible bone marrow? Her very life could depend on finding these people. Sarah practically jumped up from the sofa. “I’ve got to go,” she said.
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Excerpt from A Time to Die by Lurlene McDaniel
Copyright © 1992 by Lurlene McDaniel
Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers
a division of Random House, Inc.
1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036
All rights reserved
Sixteen-year-old Kara Fischer has never considered herself lucky. She doesn’t understand why she was born with cystic fibrosis. Despite her daily treatments, each day poses the threat of a lung infection that could put her in the hospital for weeks. But her close friendship with her fellow CF patient Vince and the new feelings she is quickly developing for Eric give her the hope to live one day at a time.
When an anonymous benefactor promises to grant a single wish with no strings attached, Kara finds a way to let the people who have loved and supported her throughout her illness know how much they mean to her. But will there be time for Kara to see her dying wish fulfilled?
“What am I going to do about you, Kara?”
Eric’s tone was subdued and so sincere that his question caught her by surprise. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t stay away from you.”
“You seem to be doing a fine job of it,” she said quietly, but without malice.
“I know it seems that way, but you don’t know how hard it’s been.”
She was skeptical “We just danced together, but after tonight, how will it be between us? Will you still ignore me in the halls? Will you duck into the nearest open door whenever you see me coming?”
He turned his head and she saw his jaw clench. She thought he might walk away, but instead he asked, “What’s between you and Vince?”
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT MORGAN,
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Excerpt from Sixteen and Dying by Lurlene McDaniel
Copyright © 1992 by Lurlene McDaniel
Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers
a division of Random House, Inc.
1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036
All rights reserved
It’s hard for Anne Wingate and her father to accept the doctors’ diagnosis: Anne is HIV-positive. Seven years ago, before blood screening was required, Anne received a transfusion. It saved her life then, but now the harsh reality can’t be changed—the blood was tainted. Anne must deal with the inevitable progression of her condition.
When an anonymous benefactor promises to grant Anne a single wish with no strings attached, she decides to spend the summer on a ranch out west. She wants to live as normally as she possibly can. The summer seems even better than she dreamed, especially after she meets Morgan. Anne doesn’t confide in Morgan about her condition and doesn’t plan to. Then her health begins to deteriorate and she returns home. Is there time for Anne and Morgan to meet again?
Fearfully, Anne stared at her bleeding hand.
Morgan reached beneath her, lifted her, and placed her safely away from the hay and its invisible weapon. “Let me see how bad you’re cut.”
“It’s nothing,” Anne said, keeping her hand close to her body. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. You’re bleeding. You may need stitches. Let me wipe it off and examine it.”
Her eyes widened, reminding him of a deer trapped in headlights. “No! Don’t touch it!”
“But—”
“Please—you don’t understand. I—I can’t explain. Just don’t touch it.” Wild-eyed, panicked, she spun, and clutching her hand to her side, she bolted from the barn.
Dumbfounded, Morgan watched her run back toward the cabin.
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Excerpt from Mourning Song by Lurlene McDaniel
Copyright © 1992 by Lurlene McDaniel
Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers
a division of Random House, Inc.
1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036
All rights reserved
It’s been months since Dani Vanoy’s older sister, Cassie, was diagnosed as having a brain tumor. And now the treatments aren’t helping. Dani is furious that she is powerless to help her sister. She can’t even convince their mother to take the girls on the trip to Florida Cassie has always longed for.
Then Cassie receives an anonymous letter offering her a single wish. Dani knows she can never make Cassie well, but she is determined to see Cassie’s dream come true, with or without their mother’s approval.
Dani had rehearsed the speech so many times that even she was beginning to believe it. “It’s as if you’re supposed to do this. While we don’t know who gave you the money for a wish, I think you should use it to get something you’ve always wanted. Listen, even a trillion dollars can’t make you well, but the money you’ve gotten can help you have some fun. I say let’s go for it! You deserve to see the ocean, whether Mom agrees or not. I’m going to help you make your wish come true.”
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT RICHARD
HOLLOWAY AND jENNY cRAWFORD,
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Excerpt from The Legacy: Making Wishes Come True by Lurlene McDaniel
Copyright © 1993 by Lurlene McDaniel
Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers
a division of Random House, Inc.
1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036
All rights reserved
Who is JWC, and how was the One Last Wish Foundation created? Follow JWC’s struggle for survival against impossible odds and the intertwining stories of love and friendship that developed into a legacy of giving. And discover the power that one individual’s determination can have, in this extraordinary novel of hope.
“I had my physician call the ER doctor and afterward, when we discussed their conversation, he suggested that I get her to a specialist as quickly as possible.”
“A specialist at Boston Children’s,” Richard said with a nod. “What kind of specialist?”
“A pediatric oncologist.”
Before Richard could say another word, Jenny’s grandmother spoke. “A cancer specialist,” Marian said, her voice catching. “They believe Jenny has leukemia.”
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT KATIE,
CHELSEA, AND LACEY,
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Excerpt from Please Don’t Die by Lurlene McDaniel
Copyright © 1993 by Lurlene McDaniel
Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers
a division of Random House, Inc.
1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036
All rights reserved
When Katie O’Roark receives an invitation from the One Last Wish Foundation to spend the summer at Jenny House, she eagerly says yes. Katie is ever grateful to JWC, the unknown person who gave her the gift that allowed her to receive a heart transplant. Now Katie is asked to be a “big sister” to others who, like her, face daunting medical problems: Amanda, a thirteen-year-old victim of leukemia; Chelsea, a fourteen-year-old candidate for a heart transplant; and Lacey, a sixteen-year-old diabetic who refuses to deal with her condition. As the summer progresses, the girls form close bonds and enjoy the chance to act “just like healthy kids.” But when a crisis jeopardizes one girl’s chance of fulfilling her dreams, they discover true friendship and its power to endure beyond this life.
“Me, too. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Katie. Whenever I think about last summer, about how you were so close to dying …”
She didn’t allow him to complete his sentence. “Every day is new, every morning, Josh. I’m glad I got a second chance at life. And after meeting the people here at Jenny House, after making friends with Amanda, Chelsea, and even Lacey, I want all of us to live forever.”
He grinned. “Forever’s a long time.”
She returned his smile. “All right, then at least until we’re all old and wrinkled.”
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KATIE AND CHELSEA, BE SURE TO READ
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Excerpt from She Died Too Young by Lurlene McDaniel
Copyright © 1994 by Lurlene McDaniel
Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers
a division of Random House, Inc.
1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036
All rights reserved
Chelsea James and Katie O’Roark met at Jenny House and spent a wonderful summer together.
Now Chelsea and her mother are staying with Katie as Chelsea awaits news about a heart transplant. While waiting for a compatible donor, Chelsea meets Jillian, a kind, funny girl who’s waiting for a heart-lung transplant. The two girls become fast friends. When Chelsea meets Jillian’s brother, he awakens feelings in her she’s never known before. But as her medical situation grows desperate, Chelsea finds herself in a contest for her life against her best friend. Is it fair that there’s a chance for only one of them to survive?
“Don’t you see? There’s one donor coming in. Only one. Who will the doctors save? Who will get the transplant?”
For a moment Josh stared blankly as her question sank in. “Katie, you don’t know for sure there’s only one donor.”
“Yes, I do. There’s only one. One heart. Two lungs. The doctor said the donor’s family had given permission for all her organs to be donated.” Katie’s voice had risen with the tide of panic rising in her. “There’s two people in need and only one heart.”
Katie and Chelsea are also featured in the novels Please Don’t Die and A Season for Goodbye.
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT LACEY,
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Excerpt from All the Days of Her Life by Lurlene McDaniel
Copyright © 1994 by Lurlene McDaniel
Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers
a division of Random House, Inc.
1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036
All rights reserved
Out of control—that’s how Lacey Duval feels in almost every aspect of her life. There’s nothing she can do about her parents’ divorce, there’s nothing she can do about the death of her young friend, there’s nothing she can do about having diabetes—that’s what Lacey believes.
After a special summer at Jenny House, Lacey is determined to put her problems behind her. When she returns to high school, she is driven to become a part of the in crowd. But Lacey thinks fitting in means losing weight and hiding her diabetes. She starts skipping meals and experimenting with her medication—sometimes ignoring it altogether.
Her friends from the summer caution her to face her problems before catastrophe strikes. Is it too late to stop the destructive process Lacey has set in motion?
She went hot and cold all over. It was as if he’d shone a light into some secret part of her heart and something dark and ugly had crawled out. She had rejected Jeff because she didn’t want a sick boyfriend. She’d said as much to Katie at Jenny House.
“It’s any sickness, Jeff. It’s mine too. I hate it all. I know it’s not your fault, but it’s not mine either.”
“I’ll bet no one at your school knows you’re a diabetic.”
She said nothing.
“I’m right, aren’t I?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“You know, Lacey, you’re the person who won’t accept that you have a disease. Why is that?”
She whirled on him. “How can you ask me that when you’ve just admitted that girls drop you once they discover you’re a bleeder? You of all people should understand why I keep my little secret.”
Lacey is also featured in the novels Please Don’t Die and A Season for Goodbye.
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT KATIE,
CHELSEA, AND LACEY, BE SURE TO READ
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Excerpt from A Season for Goodbye by Lurlene McDaniel
Copyright © 1995 by Lurlene McDaniel
Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers
a division of Random House, Inc.
1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036
All rights reserved
Together again. It’s been a year since Katie O’Roark, Chelsea James, and Lacey Duval shared a special summer at Jenny House. The girls have each spent the year struggling to fit into the world of the healthy. Now they’re back, this time as “big sisters” to a new group of girls who also face life-threatening illnesses.
But even as the friends strive to help their “little sisters” face the future together, they must separately confront their own expectations. Katie must decide between an old flame and an exciting scholarship far from home. Chelsea must overcome her fear of romance. And Lacey must convince the boy she loves that her feelings for him can be trusted.
When tragedy strikes Jenny
House, each of the girls knows that things can never be the same. Will Lacey, Chelsea, and Katie find a way to carry on the legacy of Jenny House? Can their special friendship endure?
“Over here!” Katie called. “I found it.”
Chelsea and Lacey hurried to where Katie was crouched, digging through a pile of dead leaves. The tepee was partially buried, and Chelsea held her breath, hoping that the laminated photo and Jillian’s diamond stud earring were still tied to it.
“It’s come apart,” Katie said, lifting up the twigs in three parts. But from the corner of one of the sticks, the laminated photo dangled, and from its center the diamond caught the afternoon sunlight.
The photo looked faded, but Amanda still smiled from the center of their group. Chelsea felt a lump form in her throat. These days, she and Katie and Lacey looked older, more mature, healthier too. But Amanda looked the same, her gamine smile frozen in time. And ageless.
Katie took the photo from Lacey’s trembling fingers. “We were quite a bunch, weren’t we?”
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Excerpt from Reach for Tomorrow by Lurlene McDaniel
Copyright © 1999 by Lurlene McDaniel
Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers