Almost seven years ago I was listed for an urgent heart transplant. Over the course of 16 days, my future hung in the balance, my survival dependent on a donor organ becoming available while I was still well enough to undergo the operation. I received my new heart on Christmas Day. My Heart’s Content is the memoir I wrote about my experience. It’s personal and was often painful to recall.
But amid the fear, moments of joy and laughter are plentiful. Pleasure is in the tiny details. When nothing is certain, least of all the future, and all tomorrows are fading fast, recollections from the past take on extra significance.
At the start of the pandemic, my husband Paul and I decided to publish the book ourselves as a creative project and set up our own indie, micro-publisher, Liminal Ink. This blog explores the process of doing it for ourselves, and documents the emotional side of making a personal story public.
For details of the now completed Kickstarter campaign see: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/myheartscontent/my-hearts-content
My Heart’s Content: A Journey to Transplant was published on Thursday 22 October 2020 and is available via our publishing website: Liminal Ink
Paul and I recorded Be Still My Heart below, to share our transplant experience and help raise awareness of the importance of organ donation.
Angela Hughes 