Seventeen-year-old Austin has Leukemia. Having a terminal illness opens his eyes to the world around him. He feels cheated. So many people he loves are taking their lives for granted. They let addiction, loss, and lies rule them, and have essentially given up on the life they were given.
Dying not only makes Austin wise beyond his years, but it allows him to break down the walls people build around them. It makes him a trustworthy confidante. A take-it-to-the-grave kind of guy.
His friends and family are more open with their tragedies, secrets, and fears. Not all of them, just a few. Even though Austin knows he can’t save the world in the short time he has left, he at least knows he tried his best to do his part, no matter how small.
”Sometimes I think about the trees and the mountains and how long they’ve been here. Much longer than I’ve been alive, and they’ll be here long after I’ve gone. It makes you realize how small you are in the scheme of things, what little impact you have on the world. It’s part of the reason why I’m doing what I’m doing this weekend, to make an impact. To know I might have made a difference, even if it was a small one.” ~ Austin, Chapter Thirteen