Thursday's child

A great book that was made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie in 1983. Talcott Simes (Sam) Poole (Sam Alden in the movie) is one of those all-around 17-year-olds that everyone likes--athletic, good-looking, always the center of a crowd. But...his family notices he is a bit more listless, coughing a lot, and they take him in for tests. Those tests show he has an enlarged heart--"idiopathic cardiomyopathy" they call it (meaning "we have absolutely no idea what caused this")--and will not survive without a transplant. This is 1976, so heart transplants are rare and expensive. The book, written by Sam's mother, goes on to tell of the family's efforts to get Sam the transplant he needs, their support of Sam throughout the process, and Sam's experiences as Heart Transplant Number 120 at the Stanford Medical Center. The book was published in 1980 and a *Reader's Digest Condensed Books* selection in late 1980. Sam died of complications around Christmas, 1982.