To the Edge and Back My Story from Organ Transplant Survivor to Olympic Snowboarder

by Klug, Chris; Jackson, Steve

• ISBN13: 9780786714223
• ISBN10: 0786714220
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-11-15
• Publisher: Da Capo Press

Summary

Displaying faith, courage, and perseverance, snowboard racer Chris Klug battled for years to have his "extreme" sport accepted in the mainstream. He rose through the World Cup ranks and won a bronze medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics less than two years after undergoing a lifesaving liver transplant. Not since Lance Armstrong's It's Not About the Bike has a stricken athlete's story been as poised to transcend the sport. In 1996, during snowboarding's World Cup season, Chris was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitisthe same disease that would cause the death of his childhood hero, football great Walter Payton. His four-year wait for a donor came to an end when his rapidly failing liver prompted doctors to move him up on the transplant list. With the shooting death of a thirteen-year-old boy, Chris was given the organ that gave him a second chance at life. From his youth as a high school football hero, to his campaign for snowboarding's acceptance, and through surgery, recovery, and Olympic glory, every setback and victory in Chris Klug's ride is riveting. To the Edge and Back will be cherished as a story of an athlete who represents the best of the human spirit.

Author Biography

Chris Klug travels the world as a professional snowboarder, calling Aspen, Colorado, his home. He is a four-time World Cup winner, six-time U.S. National champion, a U.S. Open winner, and a two-time Olympian. In 2002 Chris became the first ever transplant recipient Olympian and medalist. He is focused on spreading the life-saving message of organ donation awareness through his snowboarding and speaking. The Chris Klug Foundation is dedicated to donor awareness and helping transplant patients. Chris can be found surfing, kite-boarding, mountain biking, or fly-fishing when not on his snowboard. He looks forward to competing in the next Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, in 2006. For more information, visit www.chrisklug.com. Steve Jackson is a New York Times best-selling author and award-winning journalist who lives in the mountains west of Denver, Colorada, with his wife and three daughters. His last book for Carroll and Graf, Lucky Lady: The World War II Heroics of the USS Santa Fe and Franklin, won the 2003 Colorado Book Award for best history/biography and was the runner-up for the 2004 Admiral Samuel E. Morrison Naval History Award. Time well spent is time with his family, fly-fishing, hiking, camping, practicing martial arts, writing, playing in the ocean, spent with friends, and skiing (he leaves the snowboarding to Chris).