the first lines of the book:

     “Life changes fast
     Life changes in an instant
     You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends.”

i’ve never read her writing before, but perhaps for some of the reasons i was drawn to medicine, i was intrigued by this memoir describing the twelve months after a double tragedy: her daughter in a coma from septic shock and her husband dies of a heart attack.  the book is honest and touching in its exploration of her grief, a welcome departure from the constantly professional and overly intellectualized atmosphere we perpetuate at the hospital. 

i went into medicine because i enjoy being a part of people’s lives, during the best and the worst of times.  but sometimes, i feel the endless pressure slowly chipping away at my soul.

*sigh*  i miss the healer’s art.