The Beginning of Things My Therapist Doesn't Want Me to Say...
My name is Emma and I am the author of Things My Therapist Doesn’t Want Me to Say, Ten Years Post Heart Transplant. Thank you for your interest in joining my healing journey!
I wrote this book because I wanted an opportunity to celebrate living with my heart transplant for ten years. It is surreal to launch this campaign just a year later, around the same time I thought about starting this journey. Originally, I hoped that writing this book would provide the closure I needed to transition from being a kid with a chronic disability and student for the past 18 years to a young adult living with a heart transplant. The truth is, instead of the clarity and neat closure I was expecting to receive at the end of this journey, in the midst of the celebration I was also overcome by anxiety, depression, and fear. Passing the ten-year mark was supposed to mean I was done reflecting, healed from the trauma of receiving a life-saving heart transplant at the age of 12.
That was definitely not the case.
My hope is that, in reading this book, you will be able to relate to or find comfort in the messiness of my healing journey (that I am very much so still on). It is so important to me to tell my story, in all its complexities because the whole narrative matters; not just the pretty and exciting triumphs or breakthroughs.
Living truthfully is hard— I give myself grace now and am hoping by the end of the book you will too.
Why I Need Your Support
My book will be published with New Degree Press. I set up the pre-order tiers to help cover the costs for publishing my book. Money raised will go toward the following:
- The Editors I will work with to revise and publish my manuscript in September 2022!
- The Cover Design of my book. (The mockups you see currently are a placeholder!)
- The Layout Design for the interior of my book (physical copy, ebook formats).
- The Copy Editing for my book to polish the grammar and spelling prior to publication.
- The Launch & Promotion Efforts for my book when I ultimately publish.
Funding Goals
Tier 1: When I hit $6,500, the ebook/softcover editions get published (this is the minimum needed)
Tier 2: When I hit $7,500, the book will get a hardcover edition
Tier 3: When I hit $8,000, the book will get a hardcover and audiobook edition
For international shipping directions see FAQ.
Meet Emma
Emma is a part-time behavioral health counselor in Chicago, IL. From a young age, Emma knew she needed to make an impact on her community and has been using that value to guide her post-graduating college.
For a long time, she knew that writing a book about her heart transplant was a key part of that value; but, was too nervous to start the project. During her senior year of college, Emma took elective classes that caused her to challenge her beliefs about how she thought of herself, her transplant and the relationships in her life.
The months leading up to Emma’s ten-year heart transplant anniversary, April 1st, 2021, were spent grappling with this significant milestone because she convinced herself that she should be done with all the healing she needed to do to from receiving a life-saving heart transplant at the age of 12. As the anniversary came and went and she graduated college, Emma realized that she had just begun to come to terms with her identity, a heart transplant recipient.
She continues to struggle with the transition between being a student for the last 18 years and building a new structure for herself that does not revolve around school but keeping her heart and body healthy. She is learning to accept that if her health is not at the forefront of her decision-making, her body is still going to win no matter how hard she masks living with a transplant. Productivity and motivation do not amount to a healthy body if she feels like she has to run her body to the ground to achieve those standards. Taking care of her heart transplant as an adult is very different than how she took care of it as a 12-year-old and there are a lot fewer people holding her hand through every procedure and check-up.
Emma’s first book is inspired by exactly that. She wanted to write stories that normalize the complex narrative around the growing pains of not knowing what is next after graduating college, from the perspective of someone with a chronic disease. Emma’s stories reflect on her past and the current uncertainty in her life that manifests from receiving a life-saving heart transplant at the age of 12. She hopes her book will help facilitate conversations around what it’s like to have a chronic illness in college, the narrative of ‘anything is over-comable if you just try hard enough and how to feel at home in your body when shit happens to it.
Emma is grateful to the friend who gave her the extra push she needed to commit to starting this journey, and to her incredible support system. Writing a book is tough enough, let alone when you’re digging into trauma from ten years ago. Emma truly believes it takes a village and is so excited to have you be a part of it. She acknowledges that without this love and support, the transition to whatever is next would be much harder.
Because after all, where are the directions for how to survive your 20s, ten years post-transplant?
Other Ways You Can Help
I want to acknowledge that not everyone can contribute monetarily, but that doesn't mean you can't still support this campaign!
I will reward the top 3 people who refer the most backers at the end of the campaign (30 days). See the Ebook Ambassador perk!
Here's how:
- At the top of the campaign page, you will see the "share" buttons. Click on the "chain" icon to get a custom link just for you. (Note: don't use the URL in the browser window as it won't work to track referrals and you won't get credit )
- Copy that link and paste it on your social media, email it to a friend, or text a fellow book lover.
- When someone clicks on that link and backs the book, you get 1 entry!
Lastly, I want to take the time to recognize my donor family. Without their extraordinary act of humanity, none of this would be possible. It takes 2 minutes to register to be an organ donor if you are not already: https://www.organdonor.gov/sign-up.
And that's all there is to it.
With so much fucking gratitude,
Emma