Voices of Teenage Transplant Survivors

‘Through her stories of remarkable young transplant survivors, Susan Sample weaves a tapestry that illuminates distinctive, intimate concerns about identity, body image, belonging, hope, survival and mortality. This book is essential reading for adolescents and young adults with chronic or terminal illness—and for their parents and health-care professionals.'

It is increasingly recognized internationally that poetry can play a major supportive role both for patients of all ages as well as for their responsible health professionals. This inspirational book curated by Professor Susan Sample adds to this important message, with its insights through poetry by teenagers into their lives before and after heart, kidney, and liver transplants. This book should interest communities around the world concerned with organ replacement, whether young or older patients or their families, or responsible health professional staff and students.

The subtitle, “Miracle-Like,” well captures the spirit and achievement of Susan Sample’s Voices of Teenage Transplant Survivors. Sample presents poems written by adolescents participating in poetry workshops at the summer Youth Transplant Camp program near Salt Lake City. In a series of short chapters, she carries the reader into the workshop process, introducing many of the young poets and placing their work in context. One young man writes of his anger, “It makes me want to hit / something. That’s better / than someone.” A young woman with a liver transplant proudly affirms, “My scar is my scar. / It has personality. / It bubbles and dances when I laugh.” These poems clearly illustrate the power of poetry to heal and the indominable spirit of youth. Poems of insight, honesty, and wit you won’t forget.

Dr Sample documents her work at a transplant survivors' summer camp, coaxing poetry from teens who don’t read it, but who have plenty to say about their 'miracle-like' experiences post-transplant. She describes brave young people whose aching drive toward supervivere, (above +to live) bursts forth in striking poetic images and metaphors that blend the surreal with the mundane. The chapter 'Our Scars, Our Selves' unpacks an atypical adolescent identity formation in simple terms. JD writes of dying and returning to life three times, concluding that 'My time is now, and I am here.' We can learn much about resilience from these teen-aged poets.