Publication Date: May 12, 2026
Based on a true story, this heartwarming and often humorous story follows a fortysomething New Yorker as she uproots her entire life in pursuit of a cure after developing a terminal disease—and ends up finding much more than a new set of lungs.
When Fiona Copeland is diagnosed with terminal lung disease, she risks everything on the chance of a few more years of life.
Far from New York is a lung transplant center that can procure lungs for transplant within a month. But the center requires each patient to bring their own full-time, in-house caregiver with them—and Fiona’s husband, Dane, cannot leave town. So, in breach of the center’s strict rules, Fiona hires a caregiver and she and her fake husband, Mason, head to Tennessee.
The Johnson’s River center is a grueling rehab program where patients exercise for three hours daily to prepare for surgery. Over the course of her first weeks there, Fiona discovers the close bonding that develops among people fighting at high risk—and is devastated when one of the cohort dies. Meanwhile, weeks turn into months without Fiona getting transplant matches. Her marriage suffers from the long distance, and the realization she might actually die threatens to unravel her. But she is thrown a shocking life buoy when Mason’s young daughter comes to join them at the center. Captivated by the girl and growing increasingly closer to Mason, Fiona finds herself with compelling new reasons to fight—not least of which is this unexpected found family.
With every breath, Fiona Copeland feels her damaged lungs trying to work, driving home the urgency for a transplant.
Author Sharon V. Agar tells a story of a main character determined to live in The Fragile Breath. In fact, to boost her chances of being a match, Fiona is willing to travel 600 miles from her home in New York City and hire a professional caregiver.
Rather than being sad and depressing, Fiona’s story illustrates a strong sense of resilience. Because of the program requirements, the caregiver, Mason, poses as her husband. Meanwhile, her real husband, Dane, continues to work in NYC.
Through the author’s own experiences undergoing two lung transplant operations, readers get an unfiltered look at how much work is required prior to the transplant. The exercise regimen alone is daunting.
Fiona’s challenges force her to redefine priorities, leading to an uncertain future. Her growth as a character is tremendous.
The Fragile Breath offers hope and an unexpected second chance.
Sharon Agar grew up in Hampshire, England, and later moved to the US to attend Yale. After business school, she worked in a variety of fields including both finance and not-for-profit. Her life took a major turn when she was diagnosed with a potentially fatal lung disease and, over the next two years, underwent two lung transplant operations. Her debut novel Out of Options, a business thriller, was published in April of 2014. A lifelong singer and a passionate advocate for organ donation, Agar has three sons and currently lives with her husband in Los Angeles.
