Up and Running: The Inspiring True Story of a Boy's Struggle to Survive and Triumph

This true life story brought a full expierence of emotions to the reader. It captured the professional and personal side of the health care providers as they strived to help the patient and family. You feel yourself willing on the patient, doctors, nurses and the family as they all struggled emotionally and physically to overcome this devastating decease. This was a must read for our whole family.

In 1997,six-year-old Andrew Bateson came down with a severe case of bacterial meningitis,which sent him and his family into a frightening ordeal.Mark Patinkin has brilliantly captured their tale of recovery and redemption in this haunting book.Through his powerful,moving,and beautiful writing,the reader really gets to know,understand,and sympathize with the Batesons.Make no mistake-he does not present them as heroic, noble "goodies" in any way.We see how Andrew's illness nearly tears the family apart.But then Patinkin eloquently shows how it also brought them together again and closer than ever.The Batesons are an inspiration to all of us."Up And Running" is a remarkable achievement.Bravo!

This book was of personal interest to me because we have been neighbors of the Bateson family since Andrew was 9, three years after his illness. We have witnessed the way he lets absolutely nothing stop him, and we have known his parents to be very positive people. Mark Patinkin's story-telling style is riveting: it is easy to feel that you are walking through the experience with the Bateson family, sharing the gamut of their emotions - hope, fears, anger, questions, and faith. The honesty and transparency of this book will be a help and support to readers who are going through trials. The author does an excellent job of describing Andrew's temperament and personality both before and after the illness. It is fascinating to note that his God-given emotional makeup has been a key ingredient in his recovery and in the way in which he embraces life. Of course, the perseverance of his family - for example, his father exercising his fingers every night for a year and his mother's willingness to drive him to Boston every day for physical therapy if that were necessary - and support and prayers of friends have also been major contributors to his triumph. I had many favorite moments in this book, but one of the best is the description of Andrew teaching himself to roller blade by hanging onto the picket fence in front of the house. He persevered in the summer heat, picket by picket, until he was "up and running." He hasn't stopped since! This book will inspire anyone to fight to overcome obstacles in their life and to focus on all that is possible with faith and determination. As this book gains publicity, Andrew, now 14, will be a role model and hero for many people, physically disabled or not. Thanks to Mark Patinkin for having the vision to write this book and to the family for allowing him to tell their compelling story. Elizabeth M. Norfrey

There's nothing more refreshing than reading a true story told well. That's exactly what you get when you read "Up and Running." Andrew was only six years old when he came down with the disease - setting in within twelve hours, shutting down his vital organs, covering him with purple and black boils and sores, and eventually causing both of his legs to be amputated. The astounding part is not just that he survived, but that he never stopped fighting. I never thought I could imagine a fraction of what it would be like to see someone you love suddenly fall ill with a life-threatening disease like bacterial meningitis, and fight to recover and begin a new life. But after reading Mark Patinkin's telling of that very story, I feel like I was there every step of the way: standing over young Andrew's hospital bed with the doctors, worrying and fretting next to his parents Rebecca and Scott, praying alongside his family members and friends. The book is told simply and honestly. It doesn't heroify Andrew - more than he deserves - or his family: at times they do lose faith, get angry, and want to quit. And the book doesn't sugar-coat the seriousness of the illness. At times I was more than disgusted to be reading some of the descriptions of his condition, surguries, or painful physical therapy sessions. And many times I laughed out loud at the pure kid-ness of Andrew's personality and some of the things he said. This was the truth of the situation. This was real, and it feels like it happened not to a distant person in a far-off place, but to your neighbor, your playmate, your friend. I would recommend this book even if you think you're not the biggest fan of non-fiction. "Up and Running" reads like a story; but it's even more powerful because it's a true one. Reviewed by Beckie Sheffield for Flamingnet Book Reviews [...] Preteen, teen, and young adult book reviews and recommendations

On a summer evening in 1996, six-year-old Andrew Bateson came down with a fever and flu-like symptoms, but within a few hours his parents knew this wasn't any ordinary sickness. Andrew had bacterial meningitis, a wildly virulent and life-threatening disease. Within a few days, Andrew was covered from head to toe in a deep purpose rash, his skin covered with lesions and his vital organs on the verge of shutting down. After battling for more than a month, doctors were able to save Andrew's life, but they weren't able to save his legs. Both had to be removed below the knees. UP AND RUNNING is a remarkable story about courage and comebacks. It walks readers through a very detailed account of Andrew's illness and recovery. But this book is about more than just one boy; it is packed with insightful stories about the team of doctors, family members, friends and a priest who became involved in supporting Andrew and his family through their work, donations and prayer. The book itself is honest, vulnerable and refreshing. It doesn't candy-coat the full spectrum of emotions Andrew's family felt: The anger. The doubt. The depression. And the distance that developed between Andrew's parents. One of the most powerful storylines in the book follows the Batesons' marriage, which unravels but then finds reconciliation and renewal. The writing itself is simple and straightforward. Many of the sentences are extremely short in order to convey a sense of urgency and draw readers into the story. Overall, it's an effective device that brings the book alive in the second half. Unexpectedly, there's a lot of humor in this book --- mostly contributed by Andrew's quick wit and spunk. Whether he was getting the best of his nurses or saying "ouch" when someone stepped on his foot, the book has a nice array of lighter moments. At one point, Andrew is out riding his bike when he accidentally bumped the release button on one of his prosthetics. His father watched and yelled for a neighborhood boy nearby to catch Andrew who was heading down the street. Patinkin writes, "A moment before Andrew's leg came off, a college-aged jogger had come around the corner. He saw the whole thing and appeared panicked. He asked if they wanted him to call 911. Scott didn't have time to chat about it. He just grabbed Andrew's detached leg and kept running. The young man looked as though he had seen a ghost. His face was white, and he appeared to be shaking... Afterward, Scott would joke about the college student who perhaps still thought he saw a child get his leg sliced off by a bike. At the same time, Scott felt bad for the young man. It was not the kind of sight you would easily get over. The next day, Scott and Rebecca decided to get Andrew a bike with handbrakes." Overall, UP AND RUNNING is a wonderful book packed with hope and life. Highly recommended. --- Reviewed by Margaret Feinberg (...)