Spotlight: Bonus Days Magazine — Art, Resilience, and the Transplant Journey

We’re thrilled to spotlight Bonus Days Magazine, a beautifully artistic publication that celebrates life before and after transplant with features for teens, parents, and adult recipients. Every issue feels like a gallery filled with powerful photography, intimate essays, and practical wisdom from people who truly get it.

Why this magazine is different

At the helm is Editor in Chief Alison Conklin, a professional photographer and adult heart transplant recipient who was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) at 13. After losing her mother to the same disease at 42, Alison was told at age 42 that she would need a heart transplant to live. She received her new heart at NYU Langone in October 2022.

Photography became Alison’s lifeline. It began in a basement darkroom her dad built after her mom passed away, and later became a way to document the raw, real moments of transplant. She captured the catheter lines and skyline views, the first quiet beats of a new heart, learning a 14-medication routine, and the joyful milestones of recovery, such as the first walk, first hike, and first concert back. Her lens captures what so many in our community feel: fear, grit, gratitude, and the wonder of each bonus day.

“Everything is a miracle, and I am grateful for all of it just as it is.” — Alison Conklin

What you’ll find inside

• Stunning, art-forward design that invites you to slow down and savor

• First-person stories from teens, parents, and adult recipients

• Hope you can hold through practical insights, reflection, and community

We encourage everyone in our community to get their copy today and to support a publication led by someone who has walked this road from adolescence through adulthood with courage and grace.

About Alison Conklin

• Diagnosis: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at 13

• Transplant: Adult heart transplant, October 2022 (NYU Langone)

• Profession: Photographer and Editor in Chief of Bonus Days Magazine

• Creative mission: To turn the hardest year of her life into art, advocacy, and connection while honoring her donor through storytelling.

Get Bonus Days Magazine

• 🔗 Order / Subscribe: bonusdaysmagazine.com

• 📣 Perfect for: transplant recipients (teen and adult), caregivers, parents, clinicians, and anyone who needs a reminder that every day is a bonus.

**Look for the Transplant Families ad in this month's edition!

Portions of Alison Conklin’s story are shared with permission and originally appeared in her first-person essay on HuffPost:“I Would Have Died Without A Transplant. Here’s My Story Documenting The Journey.”Read it here → https://www.huffpost.com/entry/heart-transplant-story-photos_n_651d8e40e4b0a513f1caf783