Review: Hesperia Loves Books Review: Vital Sign is a powerful and emotional book!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 1, 2014
Vital Sign by J. L. Mac is one of those books that will give the reader food for thought, insight in the many stages of grief, an understanding of organ donation, how organ donation affects the recipient, as well as the donor’s loved ones and the journey of finding life after heartbreaking devastation. This is not a light and fluffy read. At times your heart will feel weighted. The reader will experience the anger and grief that comes with losing a loved one. The reader will experience the guilt and remorse that comes with the gift of a second chance in life. This book will portray the importance and understanding of how the miraculous gift of life comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility. But most of all, the reader will experience a journey of learning to live life to it’s fullest potential. This is highly charged emotional book that leaves the reader touched to their very soul. This is Sadie and Zander’s journey.Sadie has suffered the most devastating loss. She lost her life long best friend, soul mate and husband to a violent crime that not only injured her, but forced her to make choices she never would of ever considered. Her husband Jake was mortally wounded from a gun shot and she has to make the choice of taking him off of life support. Jake was an organ donor and pieces of him were gifted to those who had a very slim chance of surviving life. She is angry and resentful that she had to lose Jake and others got to live.After two years of mourning, Sadie is still buried in her grief. She is a shell of the person she once was. Her life has become stalled. She is stuck in the grieving process. Her anger has taken over her entire existence. She is resentful that everyone else’s lives are moving forward, and hers has been destroyed. She is not in a healthy state. She has to find a way to move on.Her family suggests that she meet the recipients of her husband’s organs. They feel that this might be the right kind of therapy that will allow her to move on in her grief. Sadie is skeptical but agrees to take this journey. This journey will take her from the depths of despair to the road of hope and joy. She will find that love and hope come in many different forms and many different faces. She will learn that love starts with her.Alexander McBride was the recipient of Jake’s heart. Zander felt like he did not deserve the second chance at life. He had been careless and reckless in his prior life. He chose a superficial life style of endless partying to hurt those he loved. He did not deserve the second chance but somehow miraculously got it. He is burdened with this guilt and at the same time thankful he has this guilt to carry. He agrees to meet Sadie so that she can have the closure she deserves.When these two people meet, they find they have more in common than her husband’s heart. They both have wounds that need to be healed. They both have to find their place in their new lives. Their new lives are complimentary to each other. But before they can move forward, they have to find peace with their past lives. They have to let go of that life and hold on to the new life with all their strength.Vital Signs is a powerful book. It is an emotional experience the reader will not forget.***NOTE*** Be sure to have a full box of tissues at hand. This book will deliver an ugly cry. Not to worry….in the end it will deliver a radiant smile.