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Perkins and her husband have always led a life filled with mountain climbing and other athletic activities. Strong, active 30-year-old women rarely end up in hospital cardiac units, but when Perkins discovered she had contracted a viral infection that lodged in her heart, it soon became clear that substantial intervention was needed. She received a defibrillator implant, a pacemaker, numerous drugs and eventually a transplant. Perkins decided to live her post-transplant life to the fullest, scaling Mt. Fuji, the Matterhorn, Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Whitney in an effort to bring attention to the need for organ donors around the world. While at times her writing can become treacly, there are some truly heartwarming moments. Much like Laura Evans's 1996 cancer survival memoir by the same title, Perkins's engaging tale provides valuable inspiration for others struggling to return to an active life after a dire illness. (Nov.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information"In an average lifetime, a heart beats approximately two billion times. At thirty-four years old, with all my fast rhythms, I was rapidly depleting my allotted beats." So writes Perkins in this inspiring recovery memoir about her sudden diagnosis with a serious heart condition that changed everything. An avid camper and hiker, she couldn't think about climbing mountains when climbing the stairs in her house was an ever-increasing challenge. Three years were consumed by her illness-living in and out of hospitals, racking up medical debt, and putting careers on hold-until her heart transplant in 1995. As she found out, life after a prolonged illness can be just as challenging as the illness itself, but when Perkins started dreaming of mountains yet again, no one could tell her she couldn't do it. Even readers who aren't mountaineers will get caught up in Perkins's story and find themselves cheering her on and sharing in her triumph when she summits the seemingly insurmountable peaks. Recommended for consumer health collections.
—Mindy Rhiger
Anonymous
Posted December 4, 2012
There are lots of hills here. There are dens in almost all of them. The biggest hill is the nursery. There is a hole in the hill that leads to a large cavern inside with lots of soft moss and feathers. The entrance is guarded heavily by bramble bushes. The next largest is the warriors den right by the nursery. Slightly larger hole with only lilac bushes covering the entrance because the senior warriors hate it when they get scraped by brambles. The smallest den is for apprentices. A small entrance guarded with bracken. This den is on the other side of the nursery. These are the rest of the dens. There are herbs all around the hills also.
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Posted December 17, 2007
Due to the generosity of her donor and her donor's family, Kelly is given the gift of a renewed life. Kelly shares her and her husband Craig's deeply personal struggles. Craig's incredible unselfish love and devotion, combined with Kelly's courage and determination, enables the pair to focus their 'new' lives on overcoming obstacles in order for Kelly to prove her strength to herself and this duo to spread the word of Organ Donation to the world. An inspiring real-life story with fascinating details of Craig and Kelly's mountain climbing challenges and adventures. Take the time to read her story and then sign up with the National Organ and Tissue Registry if you haven't done so already!
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Posted December 31, 2007
Kelly Perkins shows the world what a human spirit is truly capable of enduring, while showing bravery, courage, inspiration and adventure all at the same time. After falling very ill for several years and having to undergo a life saving heart transplant operation, Kelly Perkins continued with her active lifestyle and climbs mountains around the world, all on a borrowed heart. She climbed Mt. Fuji, Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Matterhorn, and many more world wonders to inspire others and promote organ donation. I was touched by her selfless acts, and the purpose of each climb, which I don't want to give away. But when she is contacted by her donor's family with a special request, it takes the story to a new height and gives the reader a thoughtful understanding of what organ donation really is about from both sides. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to start 2008 off with true inspiration and adventure.
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Posted January 8, 2008
I heard about this book on Dr. Oz's show on Oprah, and I can't tell you how wonderful it is when a book exceeds the hype! It's the early 1990's, and Kelly Perkins is dying from a bad heart and has a heart transplant operation to save her life, a subject I know little about. Within a year of her surgery, the author takes her life back into her own hands and begins to climb the most famous mountains in the world to show what she's made of. Each climb taken on has a deep personal meaning to the author, which makes all she tries to do that much more incredible. Kelly Perkins is grateful, positive, and remains strong throughout her ordeals. All readers will be inspired by her story, and will want to do more with their own lives after reading this book. There is also a love story her between Kelly and her husband Craig, which is a nice thread throughout this story.
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Posted July 25, 2011
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Posted January 11, 2011
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