The Last Hours of Life is the powerful autobiographical story of Samuel Crisan, a young man whose life began under the shadow of uncertainty and became a long battle for survival, identity, and hope.
Born in Romania after a difficult pregnancy, Samuel entered the world fragile, unable to gain weight, and surrounded by unanswered medical questions. From infancy, his parents faced a terrifying cycle of hospitals, infections, emergency treatments, and diagnoses that never fully explained the source of his suffering. Their search for answers took them from Romania to Ireland, Hungary, and eventually Italy, where doctors finally discovered the rare genetic condition that had shaped Samuel's life: Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome. By then, his condition had developed into myeloid leukemia, leaving stem cell transplantation as his only chance.
At the heart of this memoir is not only illness, but the extraordinary devotion of a family that refused to give up. Samuel's parents fought medical systems, financial hardship, fear, and exhaustion to keep their son alive. The book follows Samuel through chemotherapy, intensive care, sepsis, meningitis, heart complications, and the frightening moment when doctors believed he had only hours left to live. Yet against all expectations, he survived.
But The Last Hours of Life is more than a hospital story. It is also a record of childhood memories, friendships, school life in Romania and Italy, loneliness, bullying, small joys, beloved pets, dreams of love, and the desire to live a meaningful life despite physical limits. Samuel writes openly about pain, faith, fear, frustration, and the hope that carried him forward when everything seemed impossible.
Honest, emotional, and deeply personal, this book is a testimony to resilience. It gives readers a glimpse into the life of someone who has lived close to death, yet continues to dream, write, love, and search for a future. Samuel's story reminds us that survival is not only about staying alive; it is about finding purpose after suffering.
