She Died Too Young (17 page)

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OOKS
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Excerpt from
Mourning Song
by Lurlene McDaniel
Copyright © 1992 by Lurlene McDaniel

Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers
a division of Random House, Inc
.
1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036

All rights reserved

I
t’s been months since Dani Vanoy’s older sister, Cassie, was diagnosed as having a brain tumor. And now the treatments aren’t helping. Dani is furious that she is powerless to help her sister. She can’t even convince their mother to take the girls on the trip to Florida Cassie has always longed for.

Then Cassie receives an anonymous letter offering her a single wish. Dani knows she can never make Cassie well, but she is determined to see Cassie’s dream come true, with or without their mother’s approval.

Dani had rehearsed the speech so many times that even she was beginning to believe it. “It’s as if you’re supposed to do this. While we don’t know who gave you the money for a wish, I think you should use it to get something you’ve always wanted. Listen, even a trillion dollars can’t make you well, but the money you’ve gotten can help you have some fun. I say let’s go for it! You deserve to see the ocean, whether Mom agrees or not. I’m going to help you make your wish come true.”

I
F YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT RICHARD
H
OLLOWAY AND
J
ENNY
C
RAWFORD
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Excerpt from
The Legacy: Making Wishes Come True
by Lurlene McDaniel
Copyright © 1993 by Lurlene McDaniel

Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers
a division of Random House, Inc
.
1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036

All rights reserved

W
ho is JWC, and how was the One Last Wish Foundation created? Follow JWC’s struggle for survival against impossible odds and the intertwining stories of love and friendship that developed into a legacy of giving. And discover the power that one individual’s determination can have, in this extraordinary novel of hope.

“I had my physician call the ER doctor and afterward, when we discussed their conversation, he suggested that I get her to a specialist as quickly as possible.”

“A specialist at Boston Children’s,” Richard said with a nod. “What kind of specialist?”

“A pediatric oncologist.”

Before Richard could say another word Jenny’s grandmother spoke. “A cancer specialist,” Marian said her voice catching. “They believe Jenny has leukemia.”

I
F YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT KATIE
, C
HELSEA, AND
L
ACEY
,
BE SURE TO READ

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Excerpt from
Please Don’t Die
by Lurlene McDaniel
Copyright © 1993 by Lurlene McDaniel

Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers
a division of Random House, Inc
1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036

All rights reserved

W
hen Katie O’Roark receives an invitation from the One Last Wish Foundation to spend the summer at Jenny House, she eagerly says yes. Katie is ever grateful to JWC, the unknown person who gave her the gift that allowed her to receive a heart transplant. Now Katie is asked to be a “big sister” to others who, like her, face daunting medical problems: Amanda, a thirteen-year-old victim of leukemia; Chelsea, a fourteen-year-old candidate for a heart transplant; and Lacey, a sixteen-year-old diabetic who refuses to deal with her condition. As the summer progresses, the girls form close bonds and enjoy the chance to act “just like healthy kids.” But when a crisis jeopardizes one girl’s chance of fulfilling her dreams, they discover true friendship and its power to endure beyond this life.

“Me, too. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Katie. Whenever I think about last summer, about how you were so close to dying …”

She didn’t allow him to complete his sentence. “Every day is new, every morning, Josh. I’m glad I got a second chance at life. And after meeting the people here at Jenny House, after making friends with Amanda, Chelsea, and even Lacey, I want all of us to live forever.”

He grinned. “Forever’s a long time.”

She returned his smile. “All right, then at least until we’re all old and wrinkled.”

I
F YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT
K
ATIE AND
C
HELSEA, BE SURE TO READ

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Excerpt from
She Died Too Young
by Lurlene McDaniel
Copyright © 1994 by Lurlene McDaniel

Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers
a division of Random House, Inc
.
1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036

All rights reserved

C
helsea James and Katie O’Roark met at Jenny House and spent a wonderful summer together.

Now Chelsea and her mother are staying with Katie as Chelsea awaits news about a heart transplant. While waiting for a compatible donor, Chelsea meets Jillian, a kind, funny girl who’s waiting for a heart-lung transplant. The two girls become fast friends. When Chelsea meets Jillian‘s brother, he awakens feelings in her she’s never known before. But as her medical situation grows desperate, Chelsea finds herself in a contest for her life against her best friend. Is it fair that there’s a chance for only one of them to survive?

“Don’t you see? There’s one donor coming in. Only one. Who will the doctors save? Who will get the transplant?”

For a moment Josh stared blankly as her question sank in. “Katie, you don’t know for sure there’s only one donor.”

“Yes, I do. There’s only one. One heart. Two lungs. The doctor said the donor’s family had given permission for all her organs to be donated.” Katie’s voice had risen with the tide of panic rising in her. “There’s two people in need and only one heart.”

Katie and Chelsea are also featured in the novels
Please Don’t Die
and
A Season for Goodbye
.

I
F YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT
L
ACEY
,
BE SURE TO READ

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ANTAM
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OOKS
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Excerpt from
All the Days of Her Life
by Lurlene McDaniel
Copyright © 1994 by Lurlene McDaniel

Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers
a division of Random House, Inc
.
1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036

All rights reserved

O
ut of control—that’s how Lacey Duval feels in almost every aspect of her life. There’s nothing she can do about her parents’ divorce, there’s nothing she can do about the death of her young friend, there’s nothing she can do about having diabetes—that’s what Lacey believes.

After a special summer at Jenny House, Lacey is determined to put her problems behind her. When she returns to high school, she is driven to become a part of the in crowd. But Lacey thinks fitting in means losing weight and hiding her diabetes. She starts skipping meals and experimenting with her medication—sometimes ignoring it altogether.

Her friends from the summer caution her to face her problems before catastrophe strikes. Is it too late to stop the destructive process Lacey has set in motion?

She went hot and cold all over. It was as if he’d shone a light into some secret part of her heart and something dark and ugly had crawled out. She
had
rejected Jeff because she didn’t want a sick boyfriend. She’d said as much to Katie at Jenny House
.

“It’s any sickness, Jeff. It’s mine too. I hate it all. I know it’s not your fault, but it’s not mine either.”

“I’ll bet no one at your school knows you’re a diabetic.”

She said nothing
.

“I’m right, aren’t I?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“You know, Lacey, you’re the person who won’t accept that you have a disease. Why is that?”

She whirled on him. “How can you ask me that when you’ve just admitted that girls drop you once they discover you’re a bleeder? You of all people should understand why I keep my little secret.”

Lacey is also featured in the novels
Please Don’t Die
and
A Season for Goodbye
.