Thursday's Child

I'll never forget reading a paperback copy of this book while on vacation as a teenager. It made such an impact on me then, and now, as a parent myself. I distinctly remember so much of this book and of Victoria's photos. For a little paperback I read one summer so many years ago to still be able to make me cry upon its memory is a sign of a powerful book. Highly recommended reading!

I remember picking up a paperback version of Thursday's Child in the Portland Jetport while on a layover from a business trip in 1981. And I remember being overwhelmed by the story and by the love, strength and dedication of the Poole family. Mostly, I remember being in awe of Sam's courage. Victoria Poole made us laugh with her sometimes wry observations, she touched all of our hearts and she communicated a powerful message about the importance of family. Actually, her writing made us feel as if we were right there with the family, whether at the "Sunday picnics" or in the waiting room at Stanford University Medical Center. I still have that faded, tattered paperback and I must admit I re read it occasionally - usually when I need to be reminded that my daily problems are miniscule compared to what Sam and his family faced. And, yes, I think all of our hearts broke a little when we heard that Sam died. He was a hero for all of us and it would have been grand to see him remain at the top of the glass mountain forever. I have often thought of writng Mrs. Poole to tell her the impact her story had on how I view life and its challenges. For now, however, I will simply say a public thank you to "Aunt Vic" and the rest of the Poole family for sharing their lives with us.

Sam Poole was my uncle. I never got to meet him because he died before I was born. However, from what I know of him he was a great person. I have heard stories and I feel like I know him through the rest of my family. Thursday's Child tells a remarkable story that is really a page turner. It hit home for me because it was written by my grandmother and talked about all the members of my family. My grandmother doesn't talk about writing the book all that much but I have read it and I know about it from my other family members. I recommend this book to anyone, it tells a story of any normal family and one incident that changes their whole lives.

Just an update on Sam Poole. He lived for 8 years with his new heart. He died as a result of all the medications he had to take to keep his heart from rejecting. 8 years was a long time to live when heart transplants were first done.