Apples from Heaven

About the Book

Brent William Vaughan was the firstborn son of Bill and Kathy Vaughan, and he came into this world on Easter Sunday, March 26, 1989. Yet shortly after his birth, young Brent was diagnosed with a terminal heart condition, leaving his parents the overwhelming task of deciding whether or not to put Brent on a list for a new heart.

In Apples from Heaven, author and mother Kathy Vaughan shares her intimate reflections on her son Brent’s life as he prepared to be one of the youngest heart transplant recipients in the world. Woven into Kathy’s heartfelt narrative are Brent’s own words, which she discovered in a touching autobiography he wrote in sixth grade shortly before his passing. Kathy now finishes Brent’s story in Apples from Heaven, a story of faith and trust in God, the only source of strength and comfort in times of difficulty and loss.

Brent’s life was characterized by a passion and a desire to experience all that he could. His clever wit and his appetite for learning made him a joy to be around. When Brent was faced with the devastating news of a failing heart at the age of twelve, he truly lived out his motto—to enjoy the time he had left. His faith in Jesus securely held him through his last nine months, and it gave those closest to him the ability to go on after he died.

About the Author

Brent Vaughan was the firstborn son of Kathy Vaughan, a wife and mother of five amazing children. Kathy is also an elementary school teacher and a growing artist, and her faith in Jesus was challenged shortly after Brent was born with a defective heart. While she questioned why this was so, Kathy was able to find strength in God’s Word and comfort in his response. Although the journey hasn’t been easy, Kathy still finds joy in life as she grows in her faith and continues to heal after the loss of Brent. Finding Brent’s autobiography a year after his death ignited her desire to share God’s story, and so with Brent she “co-authored” Apples from Heaven.