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The Heart of a Stranger - Specials Page Book
Synopsis Based on the book, A Change of Heart by Claire Sylvia A Change of Heart by Claire Sylvia (paperback). A true story of Claire's personal odyssey as a mother, dancer, dreamer and the first New England heart transplant recipient. She candidly and genuinely describes all her strengths and pitfalls along her incredibly inspiring personal journey. Her trust and interest in dreams is what lends the book its special charm, since she starts subjectively feeling the thoughts, desires and yearning of the donor of her new heart, and actually meets him in her dreams. Skeptics beware as she follows a trail of synchronicities that lead her to the donor's former family, leaving readers uplifted with a collection of fascinating coincidences, a snapshot of very believable interpersonal relationships, and questions about life & the mind-body-spirit connection, and most of all about personal fulfillment, courage, and love. This factual account of a young woman undergoing heart transplantation makes for disturbing reading that defies the laws of metaphysics and will leave readers in a state of perplexity. It goes way beyond the usual biographical account by raising the issues of personality change following the procedure with the recipient taking on certain traits and characteristics of the donor. Scary stuff, eh! Undoubtedly, however the text is written in such a matter of fact and candid manner that any mysticism transferred through its pages merely serves as food for thought without being frightening or overpowering. If you believe that some things are just not meant to be explained despite the rigours of scientific theory, then this tome will prove enchanting and a "must read". THE STORY The account chronicles the life passage of Claire Sylvia through her difficult childhood where her love of dance transcended her unhappiness and gave her a focus that was to prove all-important in the depths of despair. Despite a serious illness unrelated to future cardiac problems, Claire defied medical advice by becoming a professional dancer emphasising the theory that the human spirit and willpower can champion over logic and rationale. However, at the age of 45 tragedy was to strike in an overwhelming and incapacitating form following the development of an incurable and progressive cardiac disease that rendered her housebound, dependent and terminally ill. The text pertaining to her actual transplant makes harrowing reading and conveys the realisation that her life was totally dependent on the skills of the surgeons. To anyone who has never suffered from life-threatening illness, the desperation invoked by being wheeled into an operating theatre where there is a high risk that you will emerge in a box destined for the mortuary is inadequate to convey via my feeble words. People said Claire was brave and courageous but as she eloquently points out, what choice did she have? Certain death without the procedure, a high risk of mortality associated with the surgery! Which option would you choose? The donor was an 18 year old motorcyclist called Tim L (names have been changed to protect privacy of the donor’s family) who died from severe head injuries. As is per the normal procedure with any transplantation, Claire was unaware of any donor information except for the very basic data is age and gender. Following her recovery, Claire underwent several marked changes and developed a craving for beer, chicken nuggets and green peppers. She also had very vivid dreams of a young man called Tim exhaling into her. Claire had always been definitively heterosexual but she became more attracted to women particularly those of the blonde variety and developed several other male characteristics including her mode of walking. It was only when she set up a support group that she realised that she was not alone in this bizarre transformation and that it is a relatively common phenomenon amongst transplant recipients to take on personality changes that have often been found to be principle characteristics of their donor. The action culminates in Claire tracking down the donor’s family and the initial meeting will have your hair standing on end as Claire relates the transition of her personality, confirmed traits that suggest that Tim lives on inside her and has exerted his own influences within the core of her being. TERMINOLOGY This is not a medical textbook in any format - all medical terminology is explained in layman’s terms which makes for easy reading and never assumes prior knowledge. The book also examines many areas of holistic therapies such as meditation, visualisation, dream therapy and the power of the human spirit over applied logic. It never attempts to patronise or stuff new age concepts down the reader’s throat and will have even the most hardened cynic questioning their pre-held concepts. It’s a book that I recommend you read in small doses, not just because it can be emotionally draining, but there are so many aspects and tangents explored that you need to digest each part fully to appreciate the integral feel of the writing. HUMAN INTEREST In addition to the mesmerising central core of the theme, the very nature of relationships are explored in a refreshing way. Sylvia is acutely observant and not afraid to comment on the disturbing darker side of relationships. She also highlights a rarely discussed phenomenon regarding the inherent alteration of relationships during illness. Many of her friends including her current lover were unable to cope with the everyday stresses inflicted by her prognosis and debilitation; conversely there were others who flocked to her bedside, almost relishing the dependency factor, only to fade away when her physical and mental condition improved. SPIRITUALITY I have always believed that spirituality should never be confused with religion and is an ethereal entity that lies at the very "heart" and essence of our human form. This book merely serves to illustrate that our inner depths and resources cannot be explained by scientific rationale or the art of metaphysics. There is no doubt that Sylvian is an exceptionally intuitive and remarkable woman but this book takes us way beyond human, mortal capacities and the final chapter entitled "Searching for answers" dismisses the concept of the heart as simply another bodily organ, embracing mythological and classically held theories and hypotheses that the heart has energy and life of its own with conscious emotions and memories. It challenges conventional medical theory and leaves the reader to speculate and make up their own mind. I won’t reveal my own thoughts after reading this chapter because it is a very individual and personal decision but I can promise you that it will make your own brain tick and leave an imprinted memory etched into the contours of your mind. The book is written by Claire Sylvia with William Novak and is published by Little, Brown and Company. At only 235 pages long with relatively large font, it doesn’t appear a mountainous read but the prosaic words incorporated within its hallowed pages will leave you musing over the content for a long time afterwards. Jane Seymour Has Change of Heart Author: F.
Colin Kingston Waiting for an organ transplant can be a daunting experience for any family. Dealing with some of the consequences of that transplant can be too. That is the premise of Heart of a Stranger, a new Lifetime Original Movie airing on December 9. Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Jane Seymour (Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman) stars as Jill Maddox, a sickly woman who is given a new lease on life thanks to a heart transplant. Maggie Lawson (Nancy Drew) stars as Amanda,a young woman who has been forced to run the household and be a caretaker for her mom during her long illness. Rounding out the cast are Martha Irving (Town Without Christmas) as Jill's best friend Beth MacDonald and VincentCorazza (When Innocence Is Lost) as Billy Sykes, Amandas cab driving boyfriend. Unlike many movies on Lifetime, the female characters in this production are not tragic victims. They are, however, survivors. The characters of Jill and Amanda have a strong mother/daughter relationship. The relationship has not been typical, however, as Amanda was forced by her mother's illness to take on the role of caregiver at a young age. Once the operation is completed,their roles and relationship start to change. Both mother and daughter come to a turning point in their lives in this film. Says Frank von Zerneck, executive producer of the film, This very special mother-daughter relationship is at the core of this story. But we also deal with what it is like to experience something as dramatic as a heart transplant and getting a second chance at life. The film is based on Claire Sylvia's book A Change of Heart. A real life heart/lungs transplant recipient herself, Sylvia noticed that some of her attitudes, habits and tastes changed after her surgery. Believing her dreams were giving her clues about her donor, she began a search for the donor's family. This experience, and the research she conducted on cellular memory,led to her memoir, A Change of Heart. The book was adapted for television by Joan Taylor (Fools Rush In) and Peter Silverman (Hill Street Blues and Moonlighting). Dick Lowry (Atilla) directs. Any film that raises public awareness about the important of organ donations deserves support. The film is sentimental at times but not overly so, at least not for your typical Lifetime Original Movie. Fans of Jane Seymour and heartfelt programs should enjoy it. Heart of
a Stranger premieres on the Lifetime Television for Women cable network
on Monday, December 9. For more information, please see http://www.lifetimetv.com. by Marilyn Moss Just the kind of Christmas fare we expect, "Heart of a Stranger" is a slow-moving but nevertheless effective melodrama about a woman who is given a second chance at life after receiving a heart transplant. Jane Seymour, as always, is steady and convincing; few television melodrama mavens can swallow as much schmaltzy dialogue as Seymour can and still make it all sound good. Here Seymour plays a middle-age (she never looks it) single mother who has been dying of a bad heart for years. Her college-age daughter (Maggie Lawson) has been caring for her, and by now it's the only life the younger woman knows. When Seymour's character is suddenly given the heart of a young man who died in a motorcycle accident, life changes drastically both for mother and daughter. Based on the book by Clair Sylvia with William Novak, the teleplay by Joan Taylor and Peter Silverman is admirable in its honesty to the subject. But this is only half of it. There are certain elements to the story that are not easy to believe -- mostly the moments when Seymour's character begins to hallucinate, meaning she is supposed to be reliving scenes from the life of her heart donor. True as it may be for organ recipients, these scenes don't always ring true, but instead feel pumped-up and overdramatized. Still, there are elements of the film that are heartwarming, especially the sequence where Seymour visits with the family of the young man whose heart she now has. "Heart" also examines the relationship between the mother and daughter in question. Here Seymour and Lawson get some good moments together. There is hardly a confrontation between them that rings false. Both actresses bite into their parts with gusto and, above all, seem entirely convincing. Seymour has these melodramas down pat, and she never fails to do justice to the characters she inhabits. "Heart" is helped out by some beautiful photography and a touching musical score that locks in the emotions of this mother and daughter. The story may slow down in parts, but its message about the rewards of organ and tissue donation nevertheless rings true. Heart of
a Stranger premieres on the Lifetime Television cable network on Monday,
December 9 at 9pm ET/PT. For more information, please see http://www.lifetimetv.com. Claire Sylvia (by friend Joe C. in Hull, MA): "That's strange, I have a sudden craving for a can of beer and some fried chicken." When Claire Sylvia, my neighbor and the most amazing person in the world, woke up from a heart and lung transplant operation at Yale-New Haven Hospital in 1988, she longed for new and strange things - beer and chicken nuggets. While under anesthesia, she dreamed about a young man with the initials T. L. In her dream, she kissed him, and as their lips met she sucked his entire body, like a ghost, into her own. Convinced that her new organs may have triggered a profound change within her, Claire set out to discover the identity of her donor. He was a young house painter whose initials were none other than T. L., which stood for Thomas Luvinsky. Amazingly, he had loved beer and fried chicken. Their two souls had, almost magically, merged. Then, early last spring, her story became even more amazing. Already a heart and lung transplant recoveree whose story had received international attention, her kidneys began to fail. Her only chance was to have a transplant, but she faced a long wait for a donor. As her time was running out, her boyfriend Jerry (my neighbor, friend and boss) was faced with losing his loved one. Without the slightest hesitation, he gave Claire a part of him - one of his kidneys. Claire was the first person in the world to receive the combination of heart, lung and kidney transplants, and the story of this woman who has had so much influence on me gets even better. She could just be anybody, and do anything, and she would still be the most amazing person I know. But Claire and Jerry are also national award-winning ballroom dancers, and Claire is an author. She wrote her autobiography, A Change of Heart in 1996, and has been on "60 Minutes." "Lifetime" did a one-hour special on her. I consider the life of this extraordinary woman one of the most amazing stories the world has ever known. When it comes to will power and determination, I think of Claire and the hardships she has faced, and I know I will probably never face what she has. So, when I am confronted face to face, or "heart to heart" with something that is difficult, I tell myself, "At least you are not going through a triple-organ transplant," and do not give up. Also, because of her optimistim that the glass is always half full, I feel I have developed a good work ethic, and I do not let anything get the better of me. When it comes to school, baseball or anything else, I think of Claire, which gives me the extra push I sometimes need to succeed - and that I will need the rest of my life. As my inspiration in life, Claire wanted me to let T. L. know that he will always be with her in her mind and soul, and not just her body. She is still eating the fried chicken that he loved so much. |
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