As we turn our calendars to December, we not only move closer to the end of 2020 (cheers!) but nearer to the release of a riveting 4-episode video podcast telling the story of my son Adam's and actor John Dickhout's heart transplant.
Dickhout and I taped a two-day studio conversation in Cambridge, Ontario sharing both sides of the organ transplant story. He woke up with a new heart determined to know more about his donor.
The Gifts of Life Podcast page link is at the end here. It's a Canada Council For The Arts project funded in their Digital Arts 2020 grants.
Here is the podcast trailer.
We were fortunate to assemble a terrific production team: Lianne Castelino, as narrator; Joe Cappadocia, producer, and Evan Forbes, who had earlier produced A Racing Heart, a 2018 documentary on this story.
The four episodes cover:
Episode 1: John's illness leading to his transplant
Episode 2: The donor family tragedy, who Adam was, his mischievous, fun character, with a postscript on the silver lining of the gifts of life with Adam's organs.
Episode 3: John's search for the donor and family, our meeting, a race he runs
Episode 4: the final podcast covers many topics --- John's tour of gratitude, his Golden Attitude, more on Adam was, the gender journey, the humour, sports etc.
Soar, Adam, Soar, Dundurn Press, 2019, first told Adam's story, including the chapter on this heart transplant. Tantor Media will release on Feb. 16, 2021 the audiobook with Dickhout as the narrator.
By clicking on the new Gifts of Life Podcast FB page below, and liking rhe Page, you will get the news soon on release dates as well as a Dec. 16 8:00 p.m. FB Live Chat. We take the audience back stage for a behind the scenes perspective on the production and organ transplant themes.
https://www.facebook.com/giftsoflifevodcast/