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Forever Changes by Brendan Halpin
While most of her friends contemplate their plans for the future, 18-year-old Brianna -- a mathematically gifted student with cystic fibrosis -- struggles to cope with her fate. Knowing that most people with the illness do not live past the age of 19, Brianna searches for answers about life and mortality. She manages to accept her circumstance because she has a supportive father who encourages her to apply to MIT, strong friendships, a role as a mentor and a sympathetic math teacher who shows her that "without infinite infinitesimals life would not be possible as we know it" (KLT). Teens who grapple with the unfairness of life will appreciate this authentic look at a dying person's view of life and death.
Review from School Library Journal:
Brianna, a high school senior, lives with her devoted motorcycle-fixing dad and has two popular best friends. A verifiable math wizard, she is sure to be accepted at MIT. Unfortunately, she also has cystic fibrosis and begins each morning with a chest-pounding, courtesy of her father, to loosen the mucus coating her lungs. The death of Molly, a friend who also had CF, haunts Brianna and she fears that she will be next. With her body slowly failing her, she sometimes doesn't see the point of applying to college or thinking about her future. Comfort comes from two unlikely sources. Adam, a dorky new friend from math class introduces her to Love, a 1960s band whose lyrics speak to her. Mr. Eccles, her calculus teacher, also facing his own mortality, teaches her about infinitesimals. These quantities are important in calculus: "Something which seems to be nearly nothing turns out to be crucial to everything." Brianna finds strength in this idea when confronting her own mortality and the value of her life. Although the end wraps up too quickly and offers little hope for people with CF, this is a heartbreaking story of courage, friendship, and acceptance, with some great math concepts to boot.
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