When Hope Is Your Only Option — a triple-organ transplant survivor's true story (Goodreads Giveaway running now!) > Likes and Comments

Hi everyone! I'm Jim Stavis, author of When Hope Is Your Only Option. In 2005, my Cedars-Sinai surgical team told me my triple-organ transplant had never been done. My answer was "I'll be the first."

The book covers four near-death incidents before the transplant, two companies I built through a diabetes diagnosis and organ failure, a twenty-year relationship with the family of the teenager whose organs saved my life, and — new in the revised edition — caring for my late wife Renee through her final illness.

Montaigne Medal Finalist · Kirkus reviewed · Featured in USA Today and Reader's Digest

📚 I'm currently running a Goodreads Giveaway — 20 signed paperback copies, ends September 28:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

Would love to connect with fellow memoir readers and authors here!

When Hope Is Your Only Option: One Man's Brave Journey Through Life's Adversity - Triple Organ Transplant by Jim Stavis

You went through a lot! One of my brothers nearly died that many times in a few weeks when his liver suddenly went very bad. Because he lives in BC, Canada, he was put to the top of the list (it's not just time, but also urgency) and managed to get one.

Thanks Jim! I entered.

This looks like a very interesting read! I am in Australia (so not eligible to enter the giveaway).
I have also recently published my memoir "If I Ever Get Out Of This Place" about my teenage years, and going through 20 brain surgeries! I would also love to connect.

Karin wrote: "When Hope Is Your Only Option: One Man's Brave Journey Through Life's Adversity - Triple Organ Transplant by Jim Stavis

You went through a lot! One of my brothers..." Karin, thank you for sharing that. Your family has certainly been through more than its share, and I can only imagine what it was like to watch both of your brothers face something so frightening. People often focus on the person receiving the transplant, but the family goes through its own journey the waiting, the worry, and the relief when that call finally comes. It takes a special kind of strength to stand beside someone you love through all of that.

I’m glad your brothers were able to receive the care they needed. Please send them my very best, and I hope they are both doing well today.

—Jim

Koren wrote: "Thanks Jim! I entered." Thank you, Koren, I’m glad you entered. I appreciate your interest, and I’m wishing you the very best of luck in the giveaway.

Warmly,
Jim

Helen wrote: "This looks like a very interesting read! I am in Australia (so not eligible to enter the giveaway).
I have also recently published my memoir "If I Ever Get Out Of This Place" about my teenage years..." Helen, thank you so much. I’m sorry you have had to endure two brain surgeries—that is a tremendous journey in itself. I suppose none of us chooses the material for our memoirs, but sometimes life gives us more chapters than we ever expected.

I would love to connect and learn more about If I Ever Get Out of This Place. Stories like yours are exactly why I value this memoir community: we remind one another that we are not alone in the hard parts of life.

Warmly,
Jim

Jim wrote: "Koren wrote: "Thanks Jim! I entered." Thank you, Koren, I’m glad you entered. I appreciate your interest, and I’m wishing you the very best of luck in the giveaway.

Warmly,
Jim"

Thanks--it was one brother (out of three) and it took a lot. Thankfully my sister had recently retired early and was a GP (MD). She was a great help, but between that and my mother's then-recent death she and our family went through the wringer.

I know know what catastrophic illness actually is and had no idea how much people have to overcome who reach his state.

Years ago, lying in a hospital bed waiting for a heart that might never come, a social worker asked me a question that changed my life: “What is your source of hope?”

I didn’t have an answer that day. When Hope Is Your Only Option is the story of how I found one.

For a limited time, the Kindle edition is $0.99, or free with Kindle Unlimited.

👉 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX31MJY2

Inside, I share:

Decades of living with type 1 diabetes, and the night my body finally gave out
Receiving a heart, kidney and pancreas, and meeting the family of the 16-year-old boy whose gift saved my life
Losing my business partner, and later my wife, and learning to keep going when grief felt heavier than any surgery

This isn’t really a book about illness. It’s about what to do when life hands you something you didn’t choose. If you’re facing a diagnosis, caring for someone you love, grieving, or just worn down, I hope you’ll come away with what I learned the hard way: hope isn’t a feeling you wait for. It’s an action you take.

If you’ve already read it, thank you. If it meant something to you, please share it with someone who needs it.

With gratitude,
Jim