My Glory Was I Had Such Friends: A Memoir

Anyone who saw the story of Amy Silverstein on CBS Sunday Morning will want to read this book. Cardiac suffering is never better detailed than in this memoir about Silverstein’s second heart transplant and her recoveries. Who knew that one had a better chance for transplant in California than in the East? This being the case, Silverstein’s husband and friends moved with her in shifts so that she could wait for a new heart at Cedars Sinai. That meant learning to trust a new doctor and struggling through a seemingly endless wait for a donor match. The title of the book comes from friends who gave her the strength to go through the ordeal a second time and who stayed with her to buoy her spirits during painful treatments and sleepless nights. In this book, the writer makes her pain, anxiety, and frustration palpable. It is an education on the meaning of friendships, hardships, trust, and life’s ordeals. It is truly inspiring. That Silverstein and her friends are so brave and loving, it makes my world a much better place.