Meg Woodson

Many books have been written on death and dying, but this one is unique. Centering on the artlessly wise comments and tender, sensitive thought of a no-longer-quite-a-child, not-quite-yet-a-woman thirteen-year-old, it provides an unforgettable glimpse into a young girl's mind as she comes face-to-face with death. The day thirteen-year-old Peggy Woodson discovered that her hereditary disease of cystic fibrosis meant a limited life expectancy, her initial reaction was one of denial, shock, and sorry: "If I die at thirty, there won't be time to finish anything. Everything will be started but nothing finished." But from that point on, this unusually perceptive girl began to attain an emotional and spiritual maturity far beyond her adolescent years, learning to live her life with meaning and perspective. Peggie and her mother, Meg, try to look honestly at every aspect of encroaching death as they journey through the stages of denial, isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. They face squarely such issues as healing, heaven, why God lets cystic fibrosis happen, and how to handle the guilt and anger which arise within one who is dying and those who must watch her die. As no other book has done, If I Die At Thirty deals with aspects of the emotional problems of the chronologically ill child and adolescent. Beautifully written, it is a book you will not forget, and certainly one you will read many times.… (mehr)