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427th out of 644 books
—
259 voters
Before My Heart Stops: A Memoir
by
Paul Cardall
"I was born with half a heart. God made up the difference."
After living for more than three decades with congenital heart disease, popular musician Paul Cardall has undergone twenty-eight operations and seven open-heart surgeries. But the one surgery he needed most - his last chance at seeing his three-year-old daughter, Eden, grow up - was a heart transplant. This is the...more
After living for more than three decades with congenital heart disease, popular musician Paul Cardall has undergone twenty-eight operations and seven open-heart surgeries. But the one surgery he needed most - his last chance at seeing his three-year-old daughter, Eden, grow up - was a heart transplant. This is the...more
Hardcover, 290 pages
Published
2010
by Shadow Mountain
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My brother-in-law, who shares with me a love for Paul Cardall's piano music, lent this book to me last week. I didn't realize before I started that it is comprised of mostly a selection of Cardall's blog posts while waiting for his heart transplant - initially I was a little less than enthusiastic at that idea, but I was pleasantly surprised. Cardall's blog posts were eloquent, sweet, and interesting. The posts were interspersed with more typical memoir-ish chapters about his childhood, family,...more
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Paul Cardall has been one of my favorite musicians for many years. His music has always been able to provide me with peace and comfort. I couldn't resist the chance to read his biography and learn more about his life. I knew that he had some heart problems but until I read this book I didn't realize how many times his life has come close to ending.
This memoir is a compilation of blog entries that Paul Cardall wrote while waiting for a new heart from 2008 - 2009. Through his entries you learn of...more
This memoir is a compilation of blog entries that Paul Cardall wrote while waiting for a new heart from 2008 - 2009. Through his entries you learn of...more
This book is a true story about the musician Paul Cardall. This book was so inspiring as he tells his story about having many open heart surgeries and his experiences as he is waiting for a heart transplant. He tells about how he is trying to stay alive for his wife and daughter eden. He shares his experiences about how music helps him and how his religion does also. He tells how death can be a good thing sometimes and how we should not be afraid of it. I think people who are struggling with a...more
Even growing up in Utah, I have never heard of Paul Cardall; never listened to his music (I obviously wasn't listening to the right music!). I found this book while browsing Deseret Book's website and the title caught my attention. At the time, I had a friend who's little baby had a heart defect and was getting ready to have his first open heart surgery at 6 months. I bought this for her because I thought it might inspire her through this difficult time. When I got it, I started flipping through...more
This took me along time to read, only because I am experiencing my own drama. I still loved this book. You can see his growth within these pages. It is a emotional book.
A friend of mine said after she read the book she looked at the world around her differently.
Not only he talked about what it is like living with a half a heart, but also the death of his brother. I can relate to his phrase called:
A friend of mine said after she read the book she looked at the world around her differently.
Not only he talked about what it is like living with a half a heart, but also the death of his brother. I can relate to his phrase called:
"The Waiting Psychosis"
a- state of peril in social standstill
b- lack of progression. Nothing movi
Description:
"I was born with half a heart. God made up the difference."
After living for more than three decades with congenital heart disease, popular musician Paul Cardall has undergone twenty-eight operations and seven open-heart surgeries. But the one surgery he needed most - his last chance at seeing his three-year-old daughter, Eden, grow up - was a heart transplant. This is the remarkable true story of one man's struggle to survive long enough to get a second chance at life.
Along the way,...more
"I was born with half a heart. God made up the difference."
After living for more than three decades with congenital heart disease, popular musician Paul Cardall has undergone twenty-eight operations and seven open-heart surgeries. But the one surgery he needed most - his last chance at seeing his three-year-old daughter, Eden, grow up - was a heart transplant. This is the remarkable true story of one man's struggle to survive long enough to get a second chance at life.
Along the way,...more
This was a hard book for me to read, I was in tears after the first page. My son Asher was also born with half a heart, had six open heart surgeries, the last one was his heart transplant, and my dad passed away while Asher was on the transplant list. We have a lot in common with Paul. It was interesting to hear the story from an adult's point of view because Asher was only 3 when he was put on the transplant list so he could not tell me much about how he was feeling. I am amazed that doctors fr...more
I received this book as a gift last year. It was a great reminder of the gift of life and the journey and purpose we all have. One of the quotes I liked from the author. . ."What do people need? They need kindness. They need to know they are not alone. They need to know there are those who love them. They need to know in their hearts that our Heavenly Father, the Supreme Being, knows their names and that they can talk to Him in prayer by themselves in a quiet place. They need to know as I do, th...more
I heard about Paul Cardall while in Michigan. I think it was on a news feed from Deseret book? The kids and I followed his BLOG Living for Eden and watched and prayed with the rest of the world for Paul to get a heart. This is a memoir of Paul's life and his journey. Our lives are laced into his as we prayed and cried together as a family. We cried with Joy and gratitude for all of our many blessings. Paul helps you to see feel and hear the voice of the Lord through his shared experiences and hi...more
What can I say? I loved this book in a lot of ways and hated it in some. At times I hated and loved the same things. I hated how we had to read his blog where he continually thanked his supporters, and yet I loved some of the insight that he shared by blogging daily. Overall, I was glad I read it because he quoted a lot of great people and he helped me remember just how blessed I am to have a happy, healthy family. It wasn't the kind of book that I can't wait to get the kids in bed at night so I...more
Aug 17, 2010
mtw
added it
What an inspiring account of the events in the life of Paul Cardall and how Paul and his family dealt with the ups and downs of his heart disease and subsequent heart transplant! I couldn't put this book down. It is really a collection of his blog entries over the course of a year or two as they prepared for death or transplant. I was impressed with his faith and that of his wife's. He has such a strong desire to live. It was also interesting learning about and appreciating the wonder of the hum...more
My problems with this book are that, for me, blogs don't really translate to long form very well. They are meant to be read in short form sitting a computer, but for the long form of a book, it didn't hold my attention that much. Also, he just seems so mellow. I'm glad his faith in God and what God has in store for him is so strong and rock solid, but it seemed too much. On the days when he was frustrated and tense, I never got a real feeling of frustration. It was more like, "oh I'm frustrated...more
Before I say anything else, I want to suggest that no one else name their children with a rhyming first and last name ("Paul" and "Cardall" rhyme), because it turns their name into an impossible tongue twister. I have said this author's name as "Par Cardall" at least ten times in the last week.
Other than that one minor complaint, I think I owe a dollar to Dahlene, who suggested this book. It reminded me of one of my other favorite books, Marathon of Faith, by Rex Lee. Rex Lee dies at the end of...more
Other than that one minor complaint, I think I owe a dollar to Dahlene, who suggested this book. It reminded me of one of my other favorite books, Marathon of Faith, by Rex Lee. Rex Lee dies at the end of...more
I love Paul Cardall's CDs Hymns--beautiful, spiritual music.
I bought the audio, his Memoir to find out more about him and his life with a congenital heart defect. It is his voice explaining the medical procedures and surgeries he had to repair his heart, the articles in the Desseret News about him, the people he met in the hospital and above all his testimony of Jesus Christ. Six and a half hours of testimony was way too much, but I do appreciate his strength and the comfort he and his family re...more
I bought the audio, his Memoir to find out more about him and his life with a congenital heart defect. It is his voice explaining the medical procedures and surgeries he had to repair his heart, the articles in the Desseret News about him, the people he met in the hospital and above all his testimony of Jesus Christ. Six and a half hours of testimony was way too much, but I do appreciate his strength and the comfort he and his family re...more
I found this Memoir inspiring and uplifting. I remember vaguely hearing about an LDS Musician who needed a heart transplant. I love music and was interested to read this story. Paul Cardall suffered from congenital heart disease and needed a heart transplant to survive. This book is made up of blog posts that he wrote while waiting over a year on the transplant list. I acutally liked that it was written in blog form. Yes, there was some repetition, but it took me along in the journey. With each...more
This is Paul Cardall's blogged account of his life and battle to live with a heart birth defect until at last he receives a transplant in his mid 30's. I found his story interesting for the most part, but a little tedious to read in large bites. It is mostly testimony and life philosophy, which was good but after nearly 300 pages it could not help but be repetative. I am glad I read it, but I wouldn't want to read it again....unless, maybe, something similar happened to me!
I really liked this memoir. More than I expected to and more than I usually like memoirs. It was really neat to live through it with him It's the true story of a guy who has heart failure and is waiting for a transplant. The neat part is that about half of it is made up of his blog which he kept as he waited. So you really feel like you are living through it with him. Very amazing and inspirational. And I love that he thinks and feels the same way about the gospel as I do. :)
An amazing story of how he has survived a heart transplant. My nephew also has congenital heart disease so this really hits close to home. Many of the names are familiar to me which always makes books more personal. His outlook on life and the hope for the future he has is something we all need to be reminded of. We all should live like we need a heart transplant too, not knowing what's going to happen so we treat those we love a little sweeter and do all those things we've been meaning to do.
Simply put, Cardall's book is uplifting. It makes me idol his optimism and know that I can be a better person. His continuous faith in the Lord is something everyone can learn from.
On a side note, Cardall is my favorite piano artist. I first purchased one of his CDs while I was in college. I was looking for some peaceful music and fell in love with his beautiful talent. We used his music, "I love to see the Temple" in our wedding video.
On a side note, Cardall is my favorite piano artist. I first purchased one of his CDs while I was in college. I was looking for some peaceful music and fell in love with his beautiful talent. We used his music, "I love to see the Temple" in our wedding video.
What an inspiring story! I've been a fan of Paul Cardall's music since the mid-90's. Until recently I had no idea he had congenital heart disease. This book is a memoir of his journey through life including his recent heart transplant. His father, Duane Cardall, is the journalist who does the editorials on KSL, and his brother is the one who was tasered and died on the side of the highway in southern Utah a couple years ago. He writes about both of them and all his feelings in this book. His boo...more
I found this book a bit depressing. Paul is amazing and FULL of hope as he has faced unheard of challenges. His family is so supportive. This was just a sad book to read as I read about the suffering of Paul and the other families with babies with heart conditions. I had nightmares almost every night while reading this book. I do not like good byes and this book is filled with them.
I followed Paul Cardall's story in the Deseret News, so it was interesting to read the complete story in his memoir. Born with a serious heart defect, this book focuses on the year leading up to his life-changing heart transplant. It contains some of his reflections as well as entries from the blog he kept - Living for Eden. His faith and trust in God was inspiring to read about.
This is a story of a professional piano player from Utah as he was struggling with the heart problems he was born with. Every other chapter is in the form of blog entries he wrote while he was waiting for a heart transplant. It was amazing the hope he kept while he was going through it all. It was a good book, and it makes playing his music that much more enjoyable.
This book was so personal for me. My son has many of the same Drs and some of the same procedures. At some point he will face a heart transplant. As hard as it is to think about some times, It was good to see these things through the eyes of the patient. My baby is too young to express them himself, so this gave me perspective.
Half a box of tissues later, and I love Paul Cardall even more than I did before I read this book. His story is nothing short of miraculous and his book is full of inspiration that makes me want to live a more meaningful life. I've followed his blog since 2008, when he was first listed to receive a heart transplant, and it was fun to re-read many of those entries in this book, along with additional commentary on what he and his family were experiencing as they waited for a new heart and a second...more
I really enjoyed reading this memoir by Paul Cardall. Paul is a musician who was born with only half a functioning heart. The memoir tells of his life and family as they dealt with congenital heart disease and eventually a heart transplant. I couldn't help reflecting on the miracle of a healthy body and feeling gratitude.
The power that trials have to draw us closer to God and teach us lessons that can't otherwise be taught was paramount in this author's life. I also appreciated how he demonstrated the love for women, particularly a priesthood holder's love for his wife that is exactly the way the church(Gospel) teaches that a man should love and value his wife.
I read about 1/3 of the book then started skimming and looking at the pictures instead. I wish it would have been written more in memoir form (like it says on the cover); it seemed to be a series of blog/article posts. Lots of repetition. Regardless, the story of Paul Cardell's life is amazing and very inspiring.
I received this book for free from Deseret Book for completing a survey. I enjoyed reading it. I have a nephew who has an open heart valve. I am so glad this trouble is not as severe. There is a lot of love in this book. I would like to pass this book on to anyone who is interested in reading it.
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Apr 17, 2011 02:00am