"This is a place where hope lives. ..."
HOPE EMERGES:
Stories of Courage and Perseverance in the Face of Catastrophic Injury
Stories From HOPE EMERGES
There is a building in Richmond, Virginia, full of unsung heroes. Day after day, patients and their loved ones face some of the most traumatic events of their lives, while caregivers and staff work around the clock to provide the best healing experience they can.
This is the Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center at McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Never before has the VA allowed a journalist and author such access to this beacon of hope for injured service members and veterans. The results are inspiring, with many uplifting success stories as well as painful times that can be heartbreaking.
From young MPs facing multiple traumatic injuries, to families making difficult decisions, to the bright and energetic physicians of this model VA hospital, readers can expect a sensitive look at many of the individuals of the Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center in this candid and revealing piece.
In the first book of its kind, author Joseph Macenka puts a human face on the many heroes behind the walls of this successful VA hospital, one of only five in the country to contain its own Polytrauma Center—a center that is considered a world-class model of rehabilitation and healing for service members facing the gravest of injuries.
This book grabs you by the throat and does not let go. It is thoroughly researched and written by a terrific reporter who was granted rare access and took full advantage of it. It is by turns sad, inspiring, depressing and amazingly hopeful. The wounded warriors aren't the only heroes. So are the physicians, nurses and therapists working to restore their patients' lives to something approaching normalcy. This work belongs on your bookshelves.
Bill Millsaps, 2011 winner of the Red Smith Award
