The Heart of Jess Valentino: A Mother's Story

(Paperback)

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A Page-turning story of a young couple who face a tough decision when they learn their unborn baby has a fatal heart condition. During a routine 12-week scan, Emma Gilkison thinks it looks as though her unborn baby has a marble rolling on his chest. In fact, it is his heart growing outside his body - an extremely rare and fatal condition called ectopia cordis. Emma and her partner Roy now face two heartbreaking options. Should they end the pregnancy Or continue in the knowledge their baby will die The couple walk a minefield as they seek help and spiritual counsel from people of many different views and beliefs, and at the same time struggle to keep their relationship alive.This is an extraordinary story about people forced to go beyond their everyday experience and confront head-on issues of life and death. It will touch all who read it, and is already having an impact in the medical world.

Author Bio

Emma Gilkison studied journalism, short fiction, and science writing. Her work has appeared in newspapers and magazines.