A practical guide for parents of disabled children and their doctors

By Louise Kinross

Many of you followed Julie Keon on her blog. Julie just released a revised edition, with new content, of her book What I Would Tell You: One Mother's Adventure with Medical Fragility. The book covers all Julie has learned since her daughter Meredith was born with a severe brain injury 14 years ago. One of the best parts of the book, for me, was the chapter about befriending grief. Julie asked me to write a review, so I did:

What I Would Tell You is a candid, riveting account of what happens when you're told your precious newborn will not do any of the things you anticipated. Julie leads you through what to expect: how you might feel, how others might react and most importantly, what you can do to thrive and find meaning.

This book is packed with compassion, practical wisdom and life-affirming insights. It's a must-read for parents, family and friends. Anyone seeking courage and resilience in the face of catastrophic events will benefit from it.

What I Would Tell You is an indispensable guide for doctors and nurses and others who work with children with medical fragility. It illuminates the kind of care that empowers and uplifts, and the kind of care that can break down and further traumatize.

Congratulations Julie! This book should be on medical school curriculums.