Arts
Transplanting Hope: My life – Someone Else’s Heart provides an in-depth look at breaking down medical and social barriers and persevering in times of great difficulties and pain. An extremely rare diagnosis of lymphangectasia (enlarged lymph vessels) left 13 year old Kristy Thackeray feeling weak and extremely ill. After numerous tests, doctors learned that there was something else, something much more serious, going on with Kristy. She was told she also had the rare heart disease, restrictive cardiomyopathy. Kristy needed a new heart. Kristy Thackeray lives in Chestermere, AB with her husband, Wade, their two teenage girls, Shaylynn and McKayla, and their Alaskan malamute, Breaker. Kristy received her Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Victoria, and currently works as a community resource coordinator for a non-for-profit organization in Calgary, AB. A portion of the proceeds from this book will be used to start a foundation to help donor families. For more information please contact Kristy via Facebook, Twitter or by visting her website www.kristythackeray.com Readers can purchase Kristy's memoir at drug stores in Elk Point, AB; The Steaming Cup in Brooks, AB; The Friends of University Hospital, University of Alberta in Edmonton AB; and online at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca This podcast features Western Canadian authors reading from their novels, short fiction, poetry, memoirs, or non-fiction. It is created and hosted by Saskatchewan novelist Lisa Guenther. Reading West is open to featuring published authors from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. For the most part, the podcast focuses on literature, but writers working in other genres are welcome to inquire. For more information on submitting, visit lisaguenther.com/reading-west-podcast/ You can also check out the show on Facebook at www.facebook.com/readingwest/ Theme music is Flax Flower Blue by Best Kept Secret Girlfriend.