Irene Allison's Blog
April 4, 2016
"The Courage Behind Compassion"
What would your life feel like with a little more compassion?
It was a pleasure to have an interview with Dorit Sasson.
She wrote:
"Irene Allison of the upcoming June She Writes Press debut, Stay Breathe with Me that she wrote with her mother just shared one of the most profound stories of courage I'd ever heard that supports our broken medical/care system.
She shared a great quote, "Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the total presence of fear, and the courage to act anyway." How profound and lovely is that?"
You can listen to the podcast here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/givingvo...
It was a pleasure to have an interview with Dorit Sasson.
She wrote:
"Irene Allison of the upcoming June She Writes Press debut, Stay Breathe with Me that she wrote with her mother just shared one of the most profound stories of courage I'd ever heard that supports our broken medical/care system.
She shared a great quote, "Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the total presence of fear, and the courage to act anyway." How profound and lovely is that?"
You can listen to the podcast here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/givingvo...
January 6, 2016
The Inner Wisdom of the Patient and the Need for Doctors to Listen: Beautiful Affliction: A Memoir
Beautiful Affliction by Lene Fogelberg
my rating 5 stars!
Riveting, profoundly intimate, written with a poet’s voice, the command of a fine novelist, and a “soundscape” that still resonates within, I could not put this book down.
Utterly beautiful.
And more than that.
Here is a cautionary tale of what the great Dr. Bernard Lown called the quintessential failure of modern medicine in the physician-patient relationship: “the lost art of listening”.
Fortunately for the author and her family, and fortunately for us, she navigated and survived this Kafkaesque nightmare. And we, as privileged guests, are invited to witness (and vicariously experience) her journey.
It was a sad farewell when I reached the end of this book, and I couldn’t help yearning for a twin: the story from Ander’s point of view, penned with the same exquisite writing of this talented author.
Anyone who loves finely crafted prose and a compelling story will love this book.
And all doctors should be obliged to read it for it’s core warning: Listen to the patient!
So simple, so often absent in healthcare, yet the single greatest need in healthcare today.
my rating 5 stars!Riveting, profoundly intimate, written with a poet’s voice, the command of a fine novelist, and a “soundscape” that still resonates within, I could not put this book down.
Utterly beautiful.
And more than that.
Here is a cautionary tale of what the great Dr. Bernard Lown called the quintessential failure of modern medicine in the physician-patient relationship: “the lost art of listening”.
Fortunately for the author and her family, and fortunately for us, she navigated and survived this Kafkaesque nightmare. And we, as privileged guests, are invited to witness (and vicariously experience) her journey.
It was a sad farewell when I reached the end of this book, and I couldn’t help yearning for a twin: the story from Ander’s point of view, penned with the same exquisite writing of this talented author.
Anyone who loves finely crafted prose and a compelling story will love this book.
And all doctors should be obliged to read it for it’s core warning: Listen to the patient!
So simple, so often absent in healthcare, yet the single greatest need in healthcare today.
December 26, 2015
We All Need Compassionate Care
The Lost Art of Healing: Practicing Compassion in Medicine by Bernard LownMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I absolutely loved this book! It's like a manifesto for reviving the Art of Care, from a wise, compassionate doctor, both a scientist and a healer.
Despite publication in 1996, every warning and every message in this book is as urgent today as when first written.
Dr. Lown provides an eloquent dissection of the core malady of modern medicine, a system that has lost its humanity by turning its back on the human side of illness in favour of aggressive technology, profit, and downright hubris. As such, medicine has forgotten the healing power of human connection, understanding, and compassion.
The stories Dr. Lown shares made me cringe, laugh, and cry. They filled me with awe and sometimes frustration. And they made me wonder, why today we are still faced with the same issues.
All our doctors should have the wise humanitarian understanding of Dr. Lown (not to mention his insight and scientific skill).
Imagine, a doctor who listens, a doctor who cares, a doctor who understands that you, the patient, are not simply a set of symptoms, a statistic, but a unique human being worthy of time, consideration, and partnership in the management of healing care.
This book should be mandatory reading for all doctors!
December 23, 2015
Recipe for a Mother-Daughter Book!
1) Take one wise, caring nurse and medical social worker, Helen Allison, with a lifetime of experience in caring for the seriously ill,
2) Toss in a gift for storytelling,
3) Recruit a professional writer, Irene Allison, who just happens to be a daughter and every bit as committed to being a voice for the vulnerable,
4) Shake it all up with love, compassion, and a dash of courage,
5) Sprinkle in some hands-on research in foreign lands,
6) Work diligently, with exacting patience and boundless determination,
7) Laugh as much as you can because, believe us, you're going to need it,
8) Take a deep breath, then release the book on a journey of its own.
2) Toss in a gift for storytelling,
3) Recruit a professional writer, Irene Allison, who just happens to be a daughter and every bit as committed to being a voice for the vulnerable,
4) Shake it all up with love, compassion, and a dash of courage,
5) Sprinkle in some hands-on research in foreign lands,
6) Work diligently, with exacting patience and boundless determination,
7) Laugh as much as you can because, believe us, you're going to need it,
8) Take a deep breath, then release the book on a journey of its own.
