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Josie's Story: A Mother's Inspiring Crusade to Make Medical Care Safe

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At first glance, it may come as a surprise that Sorrel King dedicates her book, Josie's Story, in part "to all the doctors, nurses and healthcare providers who go to work every day to make lives better." After all, the book is about a child who died as a result of a grievous medical mistake.

On the surface, Josie's Story is that of a little girl who dies from a medical error at the hands of doctors and nurses at one of the country's healthcare giants - Johns Hopkins Children's Center. What you will learn, though, is that Josie's Story is as much Sorrel's story - a deeply personal, touching account of a mother's struggle, and her family's struggle, to accept the tragic death of their child and somehow make good of it.

In Josie's Story, King writes about Josie and the medical errors that led to her death. She describes how it affected her children, her husband, her parents, her friends, herself. She admits wanting to punish Johns Hopkins and everyone involved in the death of her daughter. And then her spirit turns. In a moment of revelation, the Kings decides to accept settlement money and team up with Johns Hopkins to raise awareness about medical errors in the name of their beloved lost child. King even develops a sense of understanding and empathy for the nurse who wrongly administered the drug to her daughter and all other healthcare providers who make these mistakes.

King continues to tell of her foray into the healthcare industry as a leading patient-safety advocate, as well as the safety improvements that have come about through the Josie King Foundation, which the family started with the settlement money from Hopkins. Through vivid depictions of her emotions and memories in this time of incredible adversity and change, King invites the reader into her home, into her mind and on her inspirational crusade to improve patient care.

In a call to action at the end of the book, King provides a resource guide for patients, their families and healthcare providers - including excerpts from the Nursing Journal, a writing workbook she developed to help nurses cope with stress - making this book a must-read for anyone who is concerned that nearly 100,000 people die each year, just like Josie.

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Video

Interview with Sorrel King
From Tragedy to Triumph

What we will be reading soon

July 7

Still Alice

by Lisa Genova, PhD

Written with uncanny insight, Lisa Genova's debut novel is a compelling, heartbreaking and ultimately inspiring story of a young woman's descent into Alzheimer's disease.

Purchase this book from our online shop

Sept. 1

Nursing in the Storm

By Denise Danna, DNS, RN, & Sandra Cordray, MA, MJ

This fall will mark the 5-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Read the remarkable stories of heroic nurses who worked during the storm.

Purchase this book from our online shop

Nov 3

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

by Rebecca Sklott

Ethics, racial and economic issues, history, genetics, medical science - this book has it all in the true story of the HeLa cells and the benefits and destruction collecting these cells have caused.

Purchase this book from our online shop

Be sure to check out our complete book list suggested by our readers.

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  Last Post: July 21, 2010 | View Comments(1)

Josie's story is my family's story also. I on the other hand am an RN and my Jen's dad an EMT. We were present along with Jen's husband and the Rescue team when she died from an embolism. Our pain came from not identifying Jen's problem and not being listened to by the EMT and Paramedics on the scene when we realized the horrifying truth of her illness. I have since had a conference with the ED chief in charge of the Rescue team about the importance of all medical workers taking into account the family's input. I admire Josie's parents and am certain their pain was turned into a gift of compassion and knowledge for medical workers as I hope ours was.

jacqui ragland Martin Community CollegeJuly 21, 2010
Bethel, NC




     

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