For Seller

By: Cindy DeJager

Craig’s life was going along just like it should; he was finishing his Pediatric internship at the hospital, his wife was expecting their third child, and the house was for sale as they looked forward to their move back to Pennsylvania from Cleveland. But their dream of a bright future would change to one of a nightmare. Craig undergoes a minor surgery for a benign lump under his left shoulder blade; he is confident his recovery will be rapid and his return to work timely, but Craig would develop complications that would turn out to be flesh eating bacteria disease. In what would turn into twenty hours of surgery the doctors raced to save Craig’s life and as much of his body as they could from the deadly bacteria. His post surgery condition was so severe that the only other hospital that would be able to properly care for his many open wounds would be the Burn Intensive Care Unit of the MetroHealth Medical Centre in Cleveland, Ohio. Craig’s condition would require equipment and treatments such as the spray table for cleaning his wounds and skin grafting over the span of many months. "This is the locale where the newest and most experimental therapies are tried and used in a last effort to thwart death."

Tattered Flesh is the story of Craig’s fight for life, his strides and setbacks. It is a collaboration of his own memories, as well as journal entries made from his wife, friends, and hospital staff, into a journal that was kept by his bedside. "The entries express the raw emotions of life: love, fear, death, despair, faith, and hope as they happened, day-by-day." Craig added bible verses to the book because he says these are the verses that were used to strengthen and guide them through their terrible experience. Though Michelle, his wife, witnessed her prayers being answered in her husband’s survival, Craig however, had a hard time accepting the reality of his situation. He does not consider himself a "miracle", his acceptance of his reality has been difficult and he is not sure of the reason why this had to happen to him, but by sharing his story he hopes to encourage others in similar circumstances, and that his pain will benefit others.

Craig describes every phase of his admission process, from Emergency to the I.C.U., through the Burn Unit to the Step-down unit, Rehabilitation, final reconstructive surgery, and resurfacing back into normal society. He also includes a Glossary containing several sections on types of physicians, surgery, and medical terms. In addition to the Glossary there is also an Appendix that lists some common pain medications; the emergency room procedures and policies; hospital day; rehabilitation; and defines the various Units of the hospital such as the I.C.U. and the B.I.C.U. (Burn Intensive Care Unit).

What sets this book apart from many others may be the way it has impacted the life of the author. Craig Collision M.D. faced death and agonizing pain; it changed his outlook on his profession and how he relates to his patients and those who have been disfigured by disease. His situation may be more unique in that Craig is a physician who found himself in the position of the patient. His battle was long and frustrating as he struggled to regain his independence; from being able to breathe on his own to learning to walk again. Miracles happen around us every day and Tattered Flesh, Resilient Spirit is about one those miracles.

Tattered Flesh, Resilient Spirit. Collision, M.D.; ISBN 1-59526-169-9; Llumina, U.S.A., 2005; 171 pp.

(c) Cindy DeJager 2005

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