A Life Everlasting: The Extraordinary Story of One Boy's Gift to Medical Science

When Sarah Gray found out she was pregnant with twins, her joy was quickly tempered by sadness when she received the devastating news that one of her unborn sons, Thomas, had anencephaly, a terminal condition. But she was determined to find positive meaning in Thomas’s life and death, so in the weeks before she gave birth to her twin sons, in 2010, Sarah arranged to donate his organs, eyes, and blood to medical research. And so began her incredible, heart-wrenching quest.

Determined to trace exactly how Thomas’s donations had been used, Sarah visited some of the most prestigious scientific facilities in the country, including Harvard, Duke, and the University of Pennsylvania. Pulling back the curtain of protocol and confidentiality, she met the researchers who received the donations and who studied his cells under a microscope. What she found was extraordinary work pushing the very edge of medical science.

Sarah Gray’s journey to find closure and understanding takes her beyond her son’s donations, too, offering a rare glimpse into the world of organ donation and the inspiring scientists who study those donations to further discovery for all humanity. Along the way, Sarah also introduces us to other donor families and tells their wonderful stories, as her quest broadens into the wider world of donation for research.

Beautifully written, and filled with heart, A Life Everlasting is a powerful memoir of grief, hope, and rebirth.