Bøger af Lois Gerber

You don't have to be a nurse to enjoy these 14 short stories about situations I've encountered in my 40 year community health nursing career. They are about everyday people meeting important life challenges. Some of the characters will remind you of persons you know. All of the stories are fictionalized components of patients, families, and nurses I have known. You will meet Nadia, who fought with the Polish Underground in WWII. She immigrates to Detroit and struggles to adapt to the American way of life. The Detroit riots of 1967 throw her into an emotional tailspin, and she is hospitalized for post traumatic stress disorder. Greg, an oncology nurse, loses his son in a boating accident and must come to terms with the after effects of grief and guilt. Carletta, a high school student, lives in poverty in the inner city and sells drugs to support her mother and two younger sisters. Kirsten lives in an upper middle class suburb. Through her volunteer work, she learns she has more in common with inner city women than she first realizes. The stories show the dynamics of family relationships and their connection to the society-at-large. The focus is health--physical, emotional, and spiritual--and the challenges people overcome to make permanent changes in their lives.

You will meet many interesting people in these 12 short stories based on my experiences as a community health nurse. The individuals, their families, and their communities are all different. The one thing they have in common is their caring and sense of commitment to themselves, their families, and their neighborhoods. Melissa is a teenager with Down Syndrome. She attends a school for children with special needs where she meets a school nurse, Mr. Dave. He talks with her about the meaning of love, and she follows his advice when she tries out for the Special Olympics and meets Jimmy. Carol is a middle-aged wife who struggles to maintain a semblance of a normal life while caring for her husband with Alzheimer's Disease. At the same time, Allison is in Fairbanks, Alaska, managing a primary care clinic. Her creative problem solving helps her deal with the health care needs of her community. The stories are fictionalized components of real people. They have been written to inspire and show the heroic efforts people make to care for themselves and others. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in the health and well being of individuals and their families and communities.

SECOND CHANCES: WHEN LIFE SENDS YOU LEMONS is a dynamic collection of short stories, each with a different theme and setting. All of Gerber's main characters have reached impasses in their lives and need to make a major lifestyle change, often because of a poor past decision. In "The Hamster's Wheel," you will meet Crystal Walker, a mother who overcomes her addiction to drugs and alcohol. "Spam Anyone," a spoof about health care, highlights an international work crew who challenges the CEO who abuses them. In "Shooting Under Par," Dan Maling, a college student is wrongly accused of a crime and uses mental imagery to deal with the stress of jail confinement. If you like stories about people overcoming life challenges, you'll love SECOND CHANCES. Some of the stories will make you laugh. Some may make you cry. All will make you think.