A Player's Path

by Titan Frey

**Award Winning Novel**

Fourteen-year-old football phenom Andy McDonald was supposed to dominate high school football. Yet, just before the school year started, Andy’s family suffered a tragedy. His father, Jerry McDonald, was involved in a car crash on his way home from work... He did not make it.

The doctor in charge of organ transplants, Doctor Yang, wanted to transplant Jerry’s kidneys into two people who needed a kidney. Since Jerry registered himself as an organ donor, this was possible. Before taking Jerry’s kidneys, Doctor Yang wanted to get approval from the family. Andy’s mother wanted her son to make the final decision. Now facing a decision that would confirm the loss of his father (in his mind), Andy would soon find out this decision would not be the biggest of his life…

130 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 23, 2020

Reviews

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting story that passes on the importance of organ donation, whether by a dead or living donor. It is the first book in the Legacy series and its main character is a fourteen year old football player, Andy MacDonald, who is looking forward to the end of the summer holidays and the start of football training starting. His father usually helps him to train and wants to see him do well playing football, but dies in a car crash on his way home from work, leaving his wife and Andy devastated. When they reach the hospital they are informed his father is an organ donor and that they wish to take both his kidneys for patients waiting for a donor.

Andy and his mother agree, Andy mainly due to a chance meeting with a young man he meets in the foyer, with a strange scar on his arm. He asks questions of this lad and soon learns he is awaiting a kidney transplant. So, when the doctor in charge of his father’s care mentions the organ donation, he insists one goes to this young man! Especially since his mother says it is his decision that will make matters go ahead or not, with his father’s wishes. He has to grow up very quickly and has a lot to handle. He goes through a full gauntlet of emotions, as does his mother and both find it hard to cope afterwards.

Andy’s chances of getting on the football team are high due to his excellent throwing of spirals with the football. Something his closest rival is not very good at. He earns his place on the team as the quarterback and enjoys success with the team, which he puts on his wanting to do it for his father! He makes friends with a young lad of his age, out practising his throwing. His name is Chase and while he would love to be playing football, he is suffering from Lupus and it has affected his kidneys. He transfers to Andy’s high school and they become best friends. Chase is even made the team manager, a post left open after the last one graduated from school. He soon gets worried about Chase, after his health goes into decline and his kidneys are packing in very rapidly.

Their football team is doing really well and end up in a Championship position, but this also occurs as Chase’s health is going seriously downhill. Andy wants to be a living donor and fakes his mother’s agreement for the tests involved. Andy s soon faced with a decision that will affect his chances to do what he loves more than anything, or to save the life of his new best friend! He may have to break the promise he made to his father, to play to the best of his ability, and to continue playing as high up the ranks as he can. But he also has experience of what his choice may do for another and how his decision could drastically change their life. A serious decision and life changing.

A short story, but full of deep meaning and life choices. If a fourteen year old can follow the example of his father, how many others could follow this path? The author mentions the closeness of this decision to their own life story and brings the question of organ donation choice to an audience, both young and old. Some countries are making great steps in the wait times for organ donation, by making it an automatic choice, unless the family decline. This makes more organs available and saves thousands of people dying while awaiting a transplant, as happens each year. I for one, am already on the organ donation list and hope anyone who reads this will ensure they are as well. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[Brigitte · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I received this story as an ARC I believe it is part of it to point out typos and errors. But - there comes a time when enough is enough. There were so many errors in this short story that it almost felt crowded, and probably was. But this late in the game and soon to be published there should not be this many errors, grammatical or typos so unfortunately I am taking this otherwise good story down a star and giving it three in stead of four. The story is otherwise very good and the subject of it absolutely great. I think that this subject, of death, illnesses of kids as well as adults, and coping mechanisms are subjects many authors are afraid of because as much as they are a part of reality they are very seldom addressed in novels. So I take my hat (if I had one...) off for this author for the subject he is writing about here.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Angelica Larsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book with a great storyline and adorable characters. Filled with emotions, lots of twists and turns.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Dolores 💜 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for Free to Give My True & Honest Review

I then brought the audio when it came out.
This is my first book by Titan Frey that I've read & it's such a deep emotional story line mainly to do with the lives of 2, 14yrs olds.

[Ryan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful story that involves kidney donation. I thought the subject of the story was a very tough one and the author did a tremendous job.