My Fight With Hospice

An unusual book. A story of devotion, family, struggle, and resolution.

"I just sat down and read your book cover to cover. It is unique. Touching. Beautiful. Reflective. Cautionary. Homage." ~ Philip Schwartz

This is a short, easy-to-read story of life and death, family and community, health and medicine, and systemic, societal problems. This is a cautionary tale. If you ask my sisters and many others, they would say Hospice was wonderful. People want to believe what the professionals are doing is the right thing to do. I saw things differently. May this book keep your eyes open.

"I just finished reading your book. Your book is a brilliant case study. (I am qualified to make that statement. I have an MPH in epidemiology from UC Berkeley). You have meticulously described on a definite schedule your mother's symptoms after taking specific drugs; you have also shown that these symptoms were not connected to the original cancer diagnosis. Your conclusions that her death and her suffering were both from those drugs, not cancer, is convincing (and horrifying). The problem here is that when people get a dire diagnosis for an elderly relative it is a sudden, unexpected experience and it takes a while for it to register, but they want to do something to help that relative immediately. And hospice seems the obvious solution." ~ Ann Cassin

I wrote this book because I was dismayed by problems in medical care. This is an eyewitness account. If someone puts these institutions on trial, this is a testimony.

"This is the first book I have read cover to cover in some time. The matter-of-fact style is refreshing. It will be interesting to see who the audience tends to be; those preparing for the future, those coping in the present, or those trying to make sense of what happened. Perhaps a reader may see themselves. I think this is a wonderful book." ~ Steven Wurgler

Send your story and a copy of this book to your healthcare providers, hospice, and government representatives.