Saving Sarah
One Mother's Battle Against the Health Care System to Save Her Daughter's Life
by Janet Murnaghan

St. Martin's Press

Biographies & Memoirs
Pub Date 04 Sep 2018


I am reviewing a copy of Saving Sarah through St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley:


Sarah was born with Cystic Fibrosis and his been dying from the day she was born. The disease quickly destroyed her lungs and her body bit by bit. Sarah was fragile and frail with only weeks to live when her Mom realized the reality of Sarah’s situation, the transplant laws, restricting access based on age restrictions leaving Sarah’s options limited. The injustice of her daughter's fate based on these laws drove Janet to fight for her daughter and others like her.


Janet was able to transfer her pain and desperation into a voice for Sarah as well as other kids using social media to broadcast the unfairness, the unfairness that was taking her daughters right to live from her.


Against all odds and in large part due to her Mother Sarah survives despite being close to death on more than one occasion, but it is not without struggle.

Saving Sarah is a story of hope and courage.


Five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

The author wrote about her battle to get her daughter the care she needed to live in raw detail that made me feel personally connected to her and her daughter. The immeasurable lengths that a mother will go to save her child are conveyed throughout this book.

This heartrending, courageous story fully immerses you in the life of a family with a critically sick child who is waiting for a double lung transplant. It is written from different points of view, including the 10 year old girl’s, and really rolls along with the ups and downs of their day to day existence. If you’d had a child in the hospital for any length of time you will recognize what they are going through, if not you will be better prepared if it happens to you or someone you know. Read this book, you will be glad you did! Thank you to #netgalley for the opportunity to read #savingsarah before publication.

I read this book in one sitting. If you choose to do the same make sure you have a box of Kleenex nearby. It is a moving story of a human "mama bear" fighting for her deathly ill 10 year old daughter. The mom (and her village of family and friends) are truly heroes and it is a story worth knowing. The reason for three stars is that the book was very repetitive. The narrated is the mom and then she inserted perspectives from the 10 year old, her dad and other characters. I like the idea of this concept but not the implementation; much of what they said was repeating the same events we had already heard.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an early release of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness. This poor family went through a living nightmare. Sarah was born with cystic fibrosis and needed a transplant. The system it would seen failed her in so many ways and meant her family would have to fight for what they needed. This made me think of the movie John Q where the son needed a heart transplant This book had me in tears most of the way through the whole book. The writer Janet Murnaghan, does a great job of sticking to the facts and writing in such a way that encapsulates you. I wanted to jump through the pages and help Sarah myself. I am glad that this story was written. Some stories just need to be told. There are others fighting the same battle and they need to know it can be done. The ending was somewhat abrupt but it did not take away from the story.

Thank you netgalley as well as the author/publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

5++ ⭐️ out of 5

This was a powerful memoir about an incredibly strong little girl trying to survive and overcome living with cystic fibrosis, and would not have been able to do so without the defiance, determination and love of her mother. Though this novel was informative and educational, it was also a beautiful story, and I found myself feeling so emotional while reading it. This poor little girl went through so much, but her spunk, brevity, and strength prevailed. She reminded others that you must go on and not give up the fight. Her mom, Janet, was a tenacious woman who wanted only what was best for her daughter, and listened to her gut (like a mother should), and often had to question and even stand up against the decisions that the medical staff made, and against the laws that had been in place before Sarah’s illness declined.. Though exhausted herself, Janet was always there for Sarah, and still tried to be the best mom and wife to the rest of her family. She gathered her resources, family, and friends and was able to create a team of people who all chipped in and helped change laws and not only save Sarah, but likely many others after her. Though I do not have personal ties to anyone with CF, I still found this book to be amazing. It was written so well, and despite that it was chock full of facts, data, and law, it was still a captivating read that I was completely engrossed in.

I loved this book. It was hard to read as a mom because you know this mother is doing everything she can for her daughter who needs a lung transplant due to cystic fibrosis. It was very interesting to me to read about the laws and politics that went into getting things changed. I highly recommend this book.

This book was amazing you really saw the struggle that the family had to go through. Things have always been hard for the family since the say Sarah was born she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and has been literally dying. With limited options the family puts young Sarah on the transplant list and prays for the best. Things get bleaker however when the family realizes that because of the states laws regarding transplants Sarah's options are greatly limited. I really enjoyed this story however it really reminded me of Jodi Picoult's "My Sister's Keeper". The family at its breaking points takes on the corrupt system and tries to get their daughter onto the adult transplant list and in turn allowing her access to thousands more donor lungs should they become available. I found this book so sad and the fact that its a true story is remarkable. The whole family took on the world in this novel and it was so realistic in the way that it was written. Nice read but very sad, defiantly a tearjerker. The only thing I didn't like about this book was the ending. I found it very abrupt, while I know that its a true story so it won't
have a definite end the family is still surviving, it was almost as if the last few pages were torn out it left me feeling like there was still something left to be said.

This powerful memoir alternates narratives from Sarah's mother, Sarah, her father, and other family members and captures their strength and courage to fight for her life as she desperately needed a double lung transplant to survive, their decision to go public about the arbitrary age policy that resulted in twice as many children under 12 who needed lung transplants dying as people 12 or older, their legal victory and the aftermath of her transplants, and her road to health post-transplant. At the age of 10 1/2 and close to dying due to cystic fibrosis, Sarah and her family were told she was unlikely to receive a lung transplant due to being under 12, although based on her disease severity she would have been at the top of the list to have a life saving transplant. Their legal and publicity battle resulted in changes to how children could be considered for organ transplants. Her mother and family are clear that they were not asking for her and children like her to be ahead of the list of others needing a transplant, but that children needing transplants should be in the same list, based on disease severity and other factors.. This book was amazing and engrossing. Even though I knew the outcome, I couldn't put it down. Sarah's and her mother's strength, determination, and love are inspiring. The chapter at the end directed to families who have a family member needing a transplant will surely help others in this situation. I was so thankful to read this advance copy through Net Galley and am happy that she and her family are doing so well.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC.
Fascinating book about one family's fight with cystic fibrosis and lung transplant politics. This could be a great resource for somebody whose child is facing a lung replacement.

I really enjoyed this book! As a mother myself I found it to be painful to read but important nonetheless!
Sarah is a rockstar! She is strong, she is brave! I wish her a life of health and happiness!
To Janet.....you are the definition of what a true mom is! I am so proud of the way you advocated for your daughter and refused to give up!