im Stavis was diagnosed with juvenile type 1 diabetes at age 17 and told to expect a shortened lifespan filled with medical difficulties. Decades later, after congestive heart failure, kidney failure, and complications that nearly took his life, Jim underwent a rare triple organ transplant—heart, kidney, and pancreas—at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, a surgery that had never been performed before or since.
Rather than let his diagnosis define him with fear, Jim used it as fuel, building a successful career as CEO of Paragon Steel while facing down business setbacks, addiction, and the loss of a close friend and business partner along the way. His persistent, no-excuses approach to adversity became the foundation for his memoir, When Hope Is Your Only Option: One Man’s Brave Journey Through Life’s Adversity, praised by Kirkus Reviews as “honest, moving, and an invaluable source of hope,” and now available in a newly revised edition.
Jim shares his story to help others facing their own adversity—medical, personal, or professional—to find the same hope and grit that carried him through. In the revised edition you’ll find out more about his enduring optimism and incredible resilience. What it took to help his wife fight cancer for five years and what he learned from Renee when nothing else could be done to save her life. His story is also the subject of the short film Source of Hope.
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Jim Stavis is a successful entrepreneur and speaker who talks about small business success.He founded and is the CEO of a successful southern California steel business. Paragon Steel has stayed strong, profitable, and nimble through nearly 30 years of economic and industry change.Jim isn’t just a CEO…he’s also a triple transplant recipient, surviving a surgery that is both incredibly rare and risky. Not to mention managing Type 1 diabetes, the transplant wait list, running a successful company, and caring for a family. In Jim’s popular speeches as a Triple Transplant Recipient he teaches the Value of Hope.
Emmy award-winning Kate Delaney the host of her own show America Tonight, and a host of NBC Sports programming. She’s a national speaker and author of Deal Your Own Destiny, published by Forbes Books. Her upbeat interviewing style brings a fresh look to the news that is important to you.
Emmy award-winning host, Kate Delaney chats with authors and newsmakers across the world to tell their story. It’s a quick read-out on the latest books and how they were created. Check it out here – Author’s Corner – also on ExpertsAndAuthors.tv, Roku and Amazon Firestick, just download the Experts And Authors App and watch on your TV.
