A Matter of Heart

Gr 9 Up—Abby knows what she wants, and she is seconds away from achieving it: making the Olympic Trials in her premier event—the 100-meter freestyle. Weeks away from reaching her dream, she gets dizzy after a swim meet. Concerned, her coach wants her to get cleared by her doctor before he will let her swim again. Abby and her parents are shocked to learn that she has Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, a medical condition that has been responsible for the loss of top high school athletes across the country. Abby and her parents each react differently after the doctor's diagnosis. Her mother incorrectly believes that her daughter's condition is fatal, her father is in denial, and Abby, knowing that she actually has a mild form that likely isn't terminal, decides not to give up on her goals. The teen continues to struggle with her decision to risk her life in order to achieve her dream. Even non-athletes will relate to Abby and her fight to attain a seemingly impossible aspiration. More than a sports novel, this book delves deep into issues of identity—how we identify ourselves separately from what we do well—and the importance of support systems while making life-altering decisions.