The Death of Maria Chavarria

Download or read book The Death of Maria Chavarria written by John G. Deaton MD and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2012-10-30 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is 1963 at Memorial Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, as young intern John Deaton dashes madly through the corridors. Overwhelmed yet invigorated by his new challenge, Deaton soon realizes that an interns life can be exemplary one momentand hopeless the next. Unfortunately, Deaton has no idea that he is about to witness an event that will change his life forever. It is a hot summer day when Maria, one of Deatons OB/ GYN patients, slips into a coma after mysterious abdominal paineven after she delivers a healthy baby. Exasperated after repeatedly expressing his concerns for her care to his superiors, Deaton is devastated as he watches his crucially ill patient suffer death by neglect, an unthinkable crime brazenly covered up by those in authority. As Deaton details his early life and hospital events, he highlights a shocking phenomenon present behind the White Curtain that tells a story as powerful as it is important. This thoughtful, gripping memoir portrays an untold side of the field of medicine and relays an unforgettable message: when a doctor sacrifices everything to save a patient, the doctor is saved too.