Tragedy to Triumph

Book excerpt: Tragedy to Triumph-The Story of Tom's Heart provides an up-close and personal look at the journeys of two individuals facing death as they present their individual perspectives as the donor family and the recipient. There are very few stories in life that grip you like the loss of a child. When that story hits home, it can feel like your very heart is being ripped out. This story is about life and death. When a family member or friend suffers end-stage organ failure, the pain is different but very real. Loved ones watch as you wither away before their eyes dying, waiting, and hoping for the ultimate gift, the gift of life, so they can go on living. Tragedy to Triumph-The Story of Tom's Heart is the harrowing and heart-wrenching tragedy that struck him and his family. At the worst moment any family should ever have to deal with, the parents said 'yes' to organ, eye, and tissue donation so the lives of others could be saved and enhanced. For Tom's mother, it offered hope in the midst of despair, a purpose in the midst of tragedy, and light in the midst of the darkest night of her life. By saying yes to donation, another mother and family did not have to wonder, wait, or face the death of their son, brother, or friend. Pete Radigan, who was in end-stage heart failure at Columbia Hospital, unsure if he would live or die, received Tom's heart-the gift of life. This is their story...