Children's Hospital

I could not put this book down. It was written in a style that made me feel a part of each child's life. I marveled at Mark Price's courage and grace as he endured things I couldn't even imagine and am grateful for the compassion the staff at Children's Hospital shows their patients.

I thought it was a novel when I first started this book. It's non-fiction. As you can see from the number of reviewers of this book on this site, this is not one of the most popular of books. Frankly, it took me about three months to get through it, reading sometimes one page at a time. It's worth it. It's an opportunity for you to enter the lives and the social structure of the children's hospital, that you may not otherwise have occasion to enter, or want to enter. Author Anderson follows the lives of several patients at Children's Hospital, especially focusing on the life of a cystic fibrosis patient, Mark Price, a teenager. Several of the patients are too young to speak much, or their injuries prevent them from speaking, so there is really not much conversation in the book. Gina De Rose is a child with leukemia. Jody Robinson was born of a mother with an apparent drug problem. Brandon Gregory is prematurely born. Freddie Eberly is hit by a vehicle and severely injured. There are several others. Then, there are the nurses, doctors, and parents of the patients. There are the social workers, the chaplain, the medical procedures, medications, and the whole sociology of the children's hospital. It's a fascinating story, laid out in diary format, day by day, from December of one year until May of the next year. Anderson has performed a service by making this book into an informative and interesting experience. It is also heartfelt because of the suffering children. Mark's bravery will affect you no matter how unemotional you are. These are things you usually read about only in medical journals, and who's going to read medical journals? Diximus.

The primary story in this book is that of Mark Price, a fifteen year old living with Cystic Fibrosis. The account of this brave and intelligent teenager's experience is vivid and extremely moving. As a future respiratory therapist, Mark's story has taught me about the courage and love shared by ill children, their families, and their caregivers. I would like to thank the author and all those involved in the development and publishing of the book. It is a gift to read!