I wrote this in-depth article after speaking with a recent liver recipient. He expressed his profound appreciation as well as his guilt surrounding his life-saving transplant. My purpose in sharing our story is to convey my family's healing experience in the years following the donation of my daughter Laura's liver. We have since developed a close relationship with the recipient Trish O'Neill, who is a special education teacher [...]

Susan Angel Miller | Permission to Thrive: My Journey from Grief to Growth (LRS Press) The title alone caught my attention than the cover drew me in. The tagline “my journey from grief to growth” only sealed the deal. And like that, I was in hook, line, and sinker. The harrowing tale was an eye-opener for sure. As a mother of three girls, Susan Angel Miller’s story hit [...]

Author to Speak on Overcoming Grief, Organ Donation Ten years ago, Laura Miller was a 14-year-old, high school freshman in Milwaukee, when she began getting headaches. Doctors didn’t find a cause for concern, but three weeks later, she had a seizure and was taken to the hospital, where she was given a CT scan. She was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a rare, aggressive childhood brain tumor. Three days later, [...]

Organ donation: She died at 14. Her liver saved the life of a 40-year-old special ed teacher. “Mom and Dad, you have to donate her organs if they could save someone’s life!” It was the worst day of our lives, and our two younger daughters were with us in the hospital waiting room. Earlier that Saturday morning, we had learned their 14-year-old sister, our eldest daughter, had suffered a [...]

Mother Writes Losing 14-Year-Old Daughter From Cancer This article summarizes our family's struggles over the past decade, discusses the positive psychology concept of post-traumatic growth (PTG), and highlights how we were initially surprised (and a little guilt-ridden) at our surviving--and eventually thriving--in the wake of two traumatic events. I had to learn to give myself permission to do whatever was best for myself and our family. CLICK HERE [...]

After loss and crisis, the community gave me strength Tragic. Traumatic. Miraculous. These words describe my family’s past decade. When our seemingly healthy 14-year-old daughter Laura died within days of being diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor, my husband Ron and I were shocked and distraught. Our sheltered family life in Bayside wasn’t supposed to unfold this way. We were overcome by the thought of never seeing Laura [...]