Medical Memoirs

A decade after World War II, there was still no such thing as open-heart surgery, and yet half a million Americans were dying from heart disease every year. After the first daring operation in 1954 and through the next three decades, five heroic surgeons braved the scorn of their peers, withstood fierce desperation, and faced possible death in order to devise procedures that would save overwhelming numbers of those doomed children and provide hope for a new life to all manner of heart-failing individuals.

When Lorna Crozier and Patrick Lane met at a poetry workshop in 1976, they had no idea that they would go on to write more than 40 books between them, balancing their careers with their devotion to each other, and to their beloved cats, for decades. Then, in January 2017, their life together changed unexpectedly when Patrick became seriously ill. Despite tests and the opinions of many specialists, doctors remained baffled. There was no diagnosis and no effective treatment plan. The illness devastated them both.

This is not just a memoir of a distinguished orthopedic surgeon. It is a blueprint for a life of purpose. Mark’s story reminds us that medicine is not just about fixing what’s broken—it’s about honoring what’s human. He shows us how to lead with humility, how to teach with integrity, and how to serve with empathy. He reminds us that the best physicians are also philosophers, that the best leaders are also listeners, and that the best legacies are built not in titles or accolades, but in the lives we touch.

Informational and positive look on the hard diagnosis. Lifting the stigma, finding that you are not alone in all this. The audiobook is a personal journey, finding what the disease is all about, managing the difficult moments of depressions and hypo-mania episodes until a stable effect is reached, the so-called remission. The author also shares her successes, talents and everything she has learned in an optimistic and positive way.

After a 25-year break from boating, Brian Harvey circumnavigates Vancouver Island with his wife, his dog, and a box of documents that surfaced after his father’s death. In this memoir, Brian Harvey shares his experience of voyaging with his father’s ghost for two months in the Pacific.

In This Faulty Machine is an eye-opening, often lyrical and very funny report from that "other kingdom" of illness, from an observant, wise, and honest involuntary resident. The author's acute yet welcoming voice draws us into the erratic, intimate, and troubling effects of the disease and its impact on her relationships alongside the pleasures of family, friends, reading, writing, and the natural world.

In this award-winning memoir, two sisters reckon with the convalescence and death of their outlandishly tyrannical mother and the care of their psychologically terrorized father, all relayed with dark humor and brutal honesty.

In a blue-collar Michigan town where corporal punishment was seen as positive parenting, troubled families rarely sought professional help. But Michael Grossman’s teachers sent him to see a Freudian psychoanalyst at age 7. It was the first of a parade of therapies that would include Rogerian bear-hugs, Gestalt dream analysis, Rolfing, Bioenergetics and even LSD. Sitting beside Michael on a succession of “shrinks’” couches, the listener follows his progress through one defense after another until he finally achieves a joyful capacity to care for others.

In September 2008, Dr Olivia Ong was struck by a car and suffered a catastrophic spinal injury. Her prognosis was devastating—she would never walk again. The future she had envisioned—practising medicine, having children and sharing life's simple joys with her husband, family and friends—seemed to slip away. Yet, as Olivia adapted to life as a long-term patient, a new perspective emerged, and she would challenge not only the limitations placed on her body but also the very mindset of rehabilitative care.

La ciencia responde a la pregunta más antigua: ¿Qué hay después de la vida? Durante cinco años, la Dra. Cristina Lázaro entrevistó a personas que han experimentado experiencias cercanas a la muerte (ECM), desvelando los misterios del más allá. Después de la vida explora estas vivencias desde una perspectiva científica y rigurosa, ofreciendo relatos detallados, análisis expertos y un recorrido antropológico por diferentes culturas. Un libro imprescindible para comprender nuestra existencia, nuestro origen y nuestro destino final. Sobre Cristina Lázaro La Dra.

Leisa Marie Carzon, Ph.D., chronicles the extraordinary life of Sister Deirdre "Dede" Byrne, a professed religious sister, renowned surgeon, and retired U.S. Army colonel. The narrative details her journey in discerning and living her vocational calling, including providing free medical care to the poor, delivering a heroic national keynote address, and proposing Christ to everyone she meets with fearless abandon and determined love.

Was Andy Warhol a hoarder? Did Einstein have autism? Was Frank Lloyd Wright a narcissist? In this surprising, inventive, and meticulously researched look at the evolution of mental health, acclaimed health and science journalist Claudia Kalb gives listeners a glimpse into the lives of high-profile historic figures through the lens of modern psychology, weaving groundbreaking research into biographical narratives that are deeply embedded in our culture.

We live in an age of medical miracles. Never in the history of humankind has so much talent and energy been harnessed to cure disease. So why does it feel like it’s getting harder to live our healthiest lives? Why does it seem like “experts” can’t agree on anything, and why do our interactions with medical professionals feel less personal, less honest, and less impactful than ever?

A mesmerizing and courageous memoir: the story of two sisters uncovering the depth of their love through the life-and-death experience of a bone marrow transplant. Throughout her life Elizabeth Lesser has sought understanding about what it means to be true to yourself and, at the same time, truly connected to the ones you love. But when her sister, Maggie, needs a bone marrow transplant to save her life, and Lesser learns that she is the perfect match, she faces a far more immediate and complex question about what it really means to love.

My Friends Walk Barefoot, based on actual events, tells the story of Jim Humphreys, a veterinarian in Southeast New Mexico who for more than three decades treated everything from dogs to donkeys, cats (including a Bengal tiger) to cows, and canaries to ostriches. Each chapter takes the listener on a new adventure filled with excitement, drama, and humor. You will laugh and you will cry as you experience the challenges faced by this country doctor whose patients, some tiny, others huge, some loving, others dangerous, all contribute to a heartwarming and magical journey.

At age 55, Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D., crossed the finish line at Ironman Florida, the crowning achievement of his endurance sports journey. Just weeks later, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He fought through treatment, recovered—and was hit again. This time, it was Stage 3B colorectal cancer. In Every Mile Matters, Reynolds shares how the physical training, mental fortitude, and resilience developed through triathlon racing became his greatest weapons in the fight for his life. He didn’t just apply his athletic mindset—he relied on it. Each round of radiation became a daily workout.

Christine Montross was a nervous first-year medical student, standing outside the anatomy lab on her first day of class, preparing herself for what was to come. Entering a room with stainless-steel tables topped by corpses in body bags is shocking, no matter how long you've prepared yourself, but a strange thing happened when Montross met her cadaver.

From Darkness to Sight chronicles the remarkable life journey of Dr. Ming Wang, a world-renowned laser eye surgeon and philanthropist. As a teenager, Ming fought valiantly to escape one of history’s darkest eras - China’s Cultural Revolution - during which millions of innocent youth were deported to remote areas to face a life sentence of poverty and hard labor. Through his own tenacity and his parents’ tireless efforts to provide a chance of freedom for their son, Ming eventually made his way to America with $50 in his pocket and an American dream in his heart.

Offering examples of how to make medicine better for the healers and those they serve, If I Betray These Words profiles clinicians across the country who are tough, resourceful, and resilient, but feel trapped between the patient-first values of their Hippocratic oath and the business imperatives of a broken healthcare system. If I Betray These Words confronts the threat and broken promises of moral injury—what it is; where it comes from; how it manifests; and who’s fighting back against it. We need better healthcare—for patients and for the workforce. It’s time to act.

Der Internist Dr. Walter Weber hat im Laufe von mehr als 35 Praxisjahren tausende Krebspatienten betreut. Auf der Basis seines reichen Erfahrungsschatzes hat er eine eigene, ganzheitliche Therapie entwickelt, die – flankiert von schulmedizinischer Behandlung und aktuellen Erkenntnissen zur Ernährung und Bewegung – bei der Wurzel des Übels, nämlich der Ursache der Erkrankung, ansetzt. Oft spielt die Psyche bzw. das Leben des Patienten eine entscheidende Rolle. Mittels einer speziellen Gesprächsbehandlung arbeitet Dr.