SUMMARY
Debbi and Mitch were true soulmates and met while they were at law school. Debbi was the planner and was making plans for 1-10 years. They were married for almost 10 years when a horrible accident happened. Mitch decided to do a cannonball into a relative's swimming pool and ended up with a severe spinal injury. He was paralyzed from the neck down. He was whisked away to the ICU in a Plattsburgh hospital, about an hour's drive east from Debbi's hometown of Malone, NY, above the Adirondack Mountains and close to Canada.
She managed her life from the nursing home wing of the Plattsburgh hospital, away from her family and children. She was with Mitch all day long except for meals. She had to struggle with Albany Medical Center's Trauma Unit to try and get Mitch transferred there where they had the experience and expertise of doing spinal fusions. They denied him a bed saying he would probably die anyways and that they needed the beds for people who would make it.
Every night, Debbi would write Mitch notes about the day's activities, news, her hope, and her love. She would read Jewish prayers in the chapel and to herself in her room.
Finally, on Day 31, he was transferred to Ellis Hospital in Schenectady. And the next day he died of cardiac arrest and complications from the injury.
Debbi was now left with 2 small children: Leah, aged 6 and Ben aged 3. She had to have 2 funerals for him (one in Albany and one in his hometown area of NYC). He is buried down in NYC at the insistence of his parents.
All traces of Debbi's time in the Plattsburgh hospital with Mitch, were kept in a "sad box" and placed high on the closet shelf in their home in Clifton Park where she stayed and raised her children with the help of many friends and family.
Twenty five years later, Debbi found the box and decided it was time to let the family, friends, and the general population know about the letters and what they went through.
MY THOUGHTS
I was drawn to this memoir mainly because I live in the part of NYS where this book takes place. I've been to Plattsburgh many times and have dear friends from there. My neighbor went to one of the SUNY's there. I hike up in that region alot. And of course I've given birth twice at Albany Medical Center and my husband has spent a night at Ellis Hospital.
I was appalled at the way Albany Med's administration and trauma unit dealt with Debbi. I sure hope they have a better bedside manner now than they did in 1988!! I do know that most trauma victims are air lifted from other areas of NY to come to Albany Med and that their ER has a good reputation as well as the Birthing Center and the Trauma Center.
This is a sad book that also contains some humorous and endearing moments. But the over all feel is one of heaviness. I burst into tears when the "Code blue" was announced at Ellis Hospital and when the doctor came to tell Debbi that Mitch had passed away. The funeral chapters were difficult to read.
By the end of the book, I found myself skimming the chapters because the heaviness was so palpable.
Mitch sounds like he was a wonderful man. Not only was he a husband and daddy, but he was a son, brother, friend, lawyer and advocate for people in the Family Court system. He fought a courageous battle to stay alive.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this an 8.
1 comment:
Sounds like a sad story.
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