Lionheart: Matthew's Story

Brenda Jacono is an assistant professor of Nursing at Laurentian
University.

Lionheart is an eloquent depiction of a young boy’s battle with a
terminal illness. At first, his condition stymies the medical
profession. Finally, a diagnosis is made. A heart/lung transplant is the
only treatment that might save his life, and Harefield Hospital in
England is the only hospital that will accept such high-risk transplant
candidates. The child, who lives with his family in Tsawwassen, British
Columbia, is unable to fly in commercial airliners, because they are
inappropriately pressurized for someone with his condition. The media
hears of the story, and a private jet is obtained to fly him and his
family to England. He arrives in England, undergoes surgery after a
protracted wait for donor organs, and dies shortly after the surgery.

This is the bare skeleton of what this book is about. The book is much
more than this. Written by the child’s mother, Katie Ekroth, this
story depicts the courage and determination a family is able to call
forth when faced with catastrophic illness. It serves as a beacon of
hope to other families.

Catastrophic illness puts enormous strain on a family. It can put
enormous stress on relationships and often leads to marital breakups.
This book, with its depiction of the process this family went through,
could provide other families with the guidance and encouragement they
need to get through similar experiences. It also provides health
professionals with insights into just what these families
experience—something dry theoretical tomes fail to convey.

Finally, this story provides individuals with a new way of looking at
personal grief. Experiences with the death of loved ones are inevitable;
this story provides the inspiration to use such experiences as stepping
stones to personal growth. That, in the end, is what Katie Ekroth’s
story encourages each of us to do.