My books

Since her bone marrow transplant, Dawn Rochelle has been free of leukemia symptoms. It is summer, and she is off to cancer camp. Dawn had planned on working the whole summer with Rhonda in her uncle's ice cream parlor. She really wanted to put the whole idea of leukemia behind her, but Joan Clark talks her into becoming a counselor-in-training. Soon after she arrives she meets a vaguely familiar boy who is also a CIT. Dawn is not surprised when she finds out that he is Brent Chandler, Sandy's brother. Many of Dawn's carefully thought-out plans to make her girls welcome are destroyed by an angry young girl named Marlee. Dawn soon realizes that Marlee's anger hides fright and a lack of self-confidence. She and her cabin mates strive to make Marlee fit in; sometimes against great odds. They know they've accomplished something when Marlee decides to play this year's practical joke on Dr. Ben. After camp, Marlee goes back to the hospital. Dawn begins visiting her every day. She loans Marlee Mr. Ruggers to keep her company. By helping Marlee, Dawn can is a small way repay the help that Sandy gave her.

Sixteen-year-old Melissa Austin has always worked hard to get what she wants. As the school year begins, her work is paying off: Her grades are up and she’s landed a coveted spot on the Brain Bowl team. She and her best friend, Jory Delaney, are determined to have the best junior year ever.Then Melissa receives devastating news about her health. At first she refuses to accept the doctor’s diagnosis, but as her illness gets worse, she cannot deny the truth. Only with the loving support of her family, and especially Jory, can Melissa come to terms with the mysteries of living . . . and dying.

I just picked this book up and finished it in one sitting. It is as good if not better than the first one, "Six Months to Live." The author specializes in writing about and for kids with tough diseases such as cancer, diabetes and even divorce. She takes Dawn through the end of her first year of remission and ending her school year to go on to a new High school. But her report comes back that her bone marrow is failing. She is out of remission and needs a bone marrow transplant. But this book is about living with cancer not the disease itself nor even the treatments although they are all covered. It is about Dawn's life and her need to be "normal." A 14 year old girl who wants to go on a date and be kissed but boys see her only as a cancer victim and stay away. It is about how her sickness affects even her brother's coming marriage. It's about the loneliness of being the victim of cancer and shunned by those who are healthy. It is the understanding of what life is really about and the desire to live. Of course it is also about the suffering. And the author includes all those who come together to help Dawn and others fight for life.This is a book (series of 5 books) that everyone should read sick or not. I helps place life in a much better perspective. It is a good read a real page turner.

Desi thinks it's totally unfair that innocent baby Alicia was born HIV positive. Now the eight-month-old Alicia lives at Childcare because she was given away by her sick teenage mother. Desi can relate to feeling unloved. Her parents give her all the material things she needs, but there seems to be a wall between her mother and herself.Working at Childcare has opened Desi's heart and allowed her to feel the love that she's been longing for. But Alicia is not her child and there is no cure for her condition. Can Desi cope with the harsh realities and still believe in love?Working at Childcare has opened Desi's heart and allowed her to feel the love that she's been longing for. But Alicia is not her child and there is no cure for her condition. Can Desi cope with the harsh realities and still believe in love? -->From the Paperback edition.

Though written more than a century ago, Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s beautiful sonnet rings true today for three young couples who believe in the power of love.In “Night Vision,” Brett finds a way to brighten a special girl’s lonely existence. “Bobby’s Girl” features Dana, who must choose between two brothers, both of whom she loves. “Laura’s Heart,” the third story, introduces 16-year-old Laura Carson, who is hospitalized on a regular basis because of her weak heart. But when tragedy strikes a loved one, she realizes her heart is stronger than she thought and that love lives on forever.From the Hardcover edition.

Who is JWC and how was the One Last Wish Foundation created? Discover the tragic story behind a struggle for survival against impossible odds. Follow the interwining story of true love and friendships that compelled JWC to dedicate a life and legacy to helping others in this extraordinary novel of hope.You don't know me, but I know about you.... I can't make you live longer, I can't stop you from hurting. But I can give you one wish, as someone did for me....

Leah is not happy about being stuck in the hospital for the holidays while her mother is thousands of miles away on a honeymoon with husband number five. Until she meets her hospital roommate, Rebekah, and her big family. Cynical 16-year-old Leah has never known people like this before. From Rebekah’s handsome brother, Ethan, who can barely look Leah in the eye, to her kind older sister, Charity, the Amish family captivates Leah with its simple, loving ways. When Leah receives frightening information about her condition, her new friends show her that miracles can happen. And that sometimes angels appear in the most unexpected places.

Thirteen-year-old Casey's mother always said that Casey's sixteen-year-old sister marched to the beat of a different drummer. But it isn't until Briana runs away with an older boy that Casey begins to understand what her mother meant. When Briana returns home alone and pregnant, Casey and her mother try to help Briana come to terms with her options.It was already complicated to think about Briana's choices and then things change suddenly again. When Briana is in a serious accident, Casey's mother sees things one way. Although Casey understands her mother's reaction, she feels she must try to convince her mother to make a different decision. Casey needs to grow up fast and do what she can to maintain Briana's legacy. Will she be able to make her mother understand that there is only one way to accept Briana's gift?

The doctor's diagnosis for April Lancaster is not good. April has a brain tumor which cannot be operated on. She's only 18, and her future is uncertain. But when she meets Mark Gianni, a 21-year-old with a passion for car racing, things change.Mark is handsome and charming--and has cystic fibrosis. Despite herself, April falls completely in love with him. April says yes when Mark asks her to marry him. But a racing accident aggravates Mark's CF, and April must make a decision that will change the course of her life forever.

It is 1974 and the country is still struggling to come to terms with the Vietnam War. In the small town of Conners, Georgia, Darcy has just started high school, her older sister Adel goes to weekend dances at the local Army base, and their mother tends her beautiful garden–the biggest and best in town. But Darcy’s world is soon changed forever when her mother goes to Atlanta for tests. The diagnosis is not good–breast cancer. There is so much Darcy wants to talk to her mother about: the war and what happened to the soldiers who were there; the feelings she is having for the new (and troubled) boy in school. But she can’t. So she finds solace in her mother’s garden. There she can help the flowers her mother planted bloom.From the Hardcover edition.

Trisha Thompson and her best friend Christina are having a great senior year. Trisha and her boyfriend, Cody, are making plans to attend Indiana University together in the fall, while Christina has already received a scholarship to the University of Vermont. Everything would be perfect if only Trisha got along with Christina’s controlling boyfriend Tucker, who is trying to convince Christina not to go away for college. But suddenly their lives change one night when Tucker is driving the four home from an away basketball game. When his car hits a patch of black ice and overturns, Tucker walks away with barely a scratch, but Trisha is injured, Cody is in a coma, and Christina is dead. Those left behind must learn that it takes time for their scars—both visible and not—to heal. And they must find the courage to move on with their lives.

You don't know me, but I know about you....I can't make you live longer. I can't stop you from hurting. But I can give you one wish, as someone did for me.It's hard for Anne Wingate and her father to accept the doctors' diagnosis: Anne is HIV positive. Seven years earlier, before blood screening was required, Anne received a transfusion to save her life, and the blood was tainted. Now Anne must deal with the inevitable progression of her condition. When an anonymous benefactor promises to grant a single wish with no strings attached, Anne decides to spend the summer on a ranch out west and live as normally as she possibly can. The summer seems even better than she dreamed, especially after she meets Morgan. But Anne hasn't confided in Morgan about her condition, and when her health begins to deteriorate, she suddenly leaves the ranch.Is there time for Anne and Morgan to meet again?

At sixteen, Melissa Austin has always worked hard to make things go her way. As the school year begins, her grades are up and she's even landed a coveted spot on the high school Brain Bowl team. She and her best friend, Jory Delaney, are determined to have the best junior year ever.Then suddenly Melissa must face some devastating news about her health. At first she refuses to accept the doctor's diagnosis, bust as her illness gets worse she cannot deny the truth. The caring and closeness Melissa feels toward her family and especially Jory help her find the inner strength and courage to face the mysteries of living and dying.

\ Told in letters, journal entries, e-mails, doctors’ reports, and instant messages, the heartbreaking story of an aspiring ballet dancer battling leukemia.\ From: Melinda SkyeTo: ReadersSubject: JesseHi! I can’t believe it. What a surprise from Jesse. When he got my e-mail about being accepted by the Washington School of Classical Dance’s summer program, he called to congratulate me! I loved hearing his voice. We’ve been friends forever–could it turn into something more?MelindaFrom: Jesse RoseTo: Readers Subject: MelindaI couldn’t believe the news. Melinda is so young! How could she be sick? How did she get leukemia? She’s got to get better. She’s got to. Jesse

Raina is happy and relieved that her friends Kathleen and Holly found volunteering at the hospital rewarding. They loved their summers at the hospital so much they will be working for credit during their junior year. Raina is also looking forward to spending as much time as possible with Hunter during their last year of high school together. Kathleen is still dating Carson, but they are at different schools and she’s worried it won’t last. And poor Holly’s still waiting for her parents to let up on their rules so she can actually go out on a date.Everything is going well until Raina’s old boyfriend Tony shows up and threatens to ruin the thing that matters to Raina the most—her relationship with Hunter. But she isn’t the only one with a secret. When Raina’s mother reveals her family secret, Raina feels betrayed. Luckily she has Holly and Kathleen to lean on.From the Hardcover edition.

The star that led the three wise men could be the same star wished upon by those longing for a wish to come true. In the opening novella, "Christmas Child," 15-year-old Melanie feels cheated when her baby sister, born at Christmastime, lives only a few days. But the brief life of her sister shows Melanie the lasting value of love. Brenda struggles between noble intentions and real desires when she becomes the last chance for happiness for a dying boy in "Last Dance." The final story, "Kathy's Life," describes a girl who appears to have it all. Kathy is beautiful, intelligent, and has the perfect job as a live-in caregiver for a couple's baby boy. But not everything is as perfect as it seems: Should Kathy give up the one person she loves most in the world?

It's the summer after sophomore year and Raina has convinced her best friends since the sixth grade, Kathleen and Holly, to spend their summer as "pink angels" in Parker-Sloan General Hospital's summer volunteer program. Kathleen is reluctant to do it - she has enough responsibility at home caring for her sick mother. But when she meets Carson, a cute and flirty fellow volunteer, she is happy that she joined the program. Or, at least, she thinks she is. Carson's "old friend" Stephanie keeps showing up at all the wrong times. And Kathleen's mother keeps complaining that she needs Kathleen at home. But with friends Raina and Holly by her side and her Pink Angel t-shirt on her back, Kathleen is able to realize that helping others also allows you to help yourself.

Pink Angels and best friends Holly, Raina, and Kathleen have been through a lot over the past year. The summer before their senior year promises to be busy but fun, as Holly and Raina return to their full-time volunteer jobs at the hospital, and Kathleen, who needs the money, works at the hospital gift shop. Of course, Raina and Kathleen will be spending as much time as possible with their boyfriends, Hunter and Carson.Holly is happy for her friends, but she can't help feeling a little left out when she's around the two couples. She did finally have a boy interested in her, but the e-mails from her secret admirer, Shy Boy, have recently stopped coming. What did she do wrong? Will she ever meet her mystery guy in person? Then Holly's world is forever changed when tragedy strikes close to home. She, Raina, and Kathleen will need each other now more than ever.