In Miracles We Have Seen: America’s Leading Physicians Share Stories They Can’t Forget (HCI Books), Dr. Harley A. Rotbart provides an assembly of essays written by peers in the medical profession, including deans and associate deans of medical schools, academic department heads at leading university medical centers, and national opinion leaders in an array of medical specialties.
These astonishing, first-person essays are written in everyday language for the delight of all readers, and depict medical outcomes that defied all expectations and, in some cases, science itself.
Dr. Rotbart writes, “Occasionally in the course of caring for our patients, we encounter events that truly stun us. Unforgettable occurrences…far exceeding the wide berth we are trained to allow for surprise.” His collection of miracles tells stories of impossible cures, miraculous timing, and recoveries from hearts stopped longer than survivable, catastrophic injuries, and freak accidents and occurrences, including:
• A nine-year-old boy who was decapitated in a horrific car accident but survived without neurological damage.
• A woman who conceived and delivered a healthy baby – despite having had both of her fallopian tubes surgically removed.
• A young man whose only hope for survival was a heart transplant, but just as he developed a potentially fatal complication making a transplant impossible, his own heart began healing itself.
As the physicians recount their very personal reactions to these remarkable clinical experiences, it is apparent that while some miracles are more emotional than physical, the event left a lasting imprint. In most instances, says Rotbart, the miracles actually directed them in their choice of specialty and has influenced much of their professional decision-making throughout their careers.
Please see a recent New York Times Op-Ed piece written by Jacalyn Duffin, a hematologist and historian at Queen’s University in Canada, that highlights religious and medical miracles at: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/06/opinion/pondering-miracles-medical-and-religious.html?emc=eta1&_r=0.
Although Miracles We Have Seen gives special insight into the lives and souls of doctors and how the miracles have affected them and their patients, Rotbart notes, “While faith and prayer certainly play an important role in many of our patients’ lives, as well as in some of the vignettes in this compilation, this is not a book about religion. Rather, this is a book about optimism and inspiration…what we don’t know or don’t understand isn’t necessarily cause for fear, and can even be reason for hope.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Harley Rotbart, MD (Denver, CO), has been a nationally renowned pediatric specialist, parenting expert, speaker and educator for over three decades. He is professor and Vice Chair Emeritus of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado. He is the author of numerous medical and scientific publications, as well as books for lay audiences including No Regrets Parenting and 940 Saturdays. Dr. Rotbart has been named to Best Doctors in America every year since 1996, as well as receiving numerous other national and local awards for research, teaching, and clinical work. He serves on the advisory boards of Parents magazine and Parents.com, and is a frequent consultant to national and local media outlets. He is a regular contributor to Parents and The New York Times.
For more information, please visit www.hcibooks.com/p-4378-miracles-we-have-seen
Miracles We Have Seen
HCI Books
Available at amazon.com
ISBN 9780757319372
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Editorial Reviews
“Doctors tell the human side of medicine in these stories―revealing the heart and soul that go into truly ‘caring’ care.” ―Jimmie C. Holland, MD, Wayne E. Chapman Chair in Psychiatric Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, author of The Human Side of Cancer: Living with Hope, Coping with Uncertainty
“As a witness to one of the miracles recounted in this uplifting book, I welcome Dr. Rotbart’s extraordinary collection of compelling testimonies from leading physicians. Take a look, and have your faith in God―and in his agents of healing, doctors―renewed!” ―Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York
“For patients, their families, and all the rest of us, Miracles We Have Seen is a welcome reminder that even the most dire diagnoses can have happy endings, thanks to the inspiring dedication of doctors.” —Diane Debrovner, Deputy Editor, Parents Magazine
“Deeply moving and eloquently written, this remarkable collection reminds us how the art and science of medicine intersect with good luck, coincidence, and the unfathomable. For physicians, these essays call to mind our own stories that inspired us toward the healing of our patients.” ―Jeremy A. Lazarus, MD, past President, American Medical Association
“These powerful and true stories by physicians offer hope from where faith intersects with science and real healing begins.” ―Jeffrey J. Cain, MD, past President, American Academy of Family Physicians
“Miracles are all around, we just need to pause and be still, and recognize them. This book is a testament to the medical miracles that happen every day when skill, science, and spirituality meet.” ―Rev Mpho A Tutu van Furth, Executive Director, Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, and co-author, with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, of Made for Goodness
“We read so many accounts of freak accidents and rare diseases bringing misery into the lives of people who deserve better. That is why it was so refreshing, so soul-restoring, to read these accounts of near tragedies that were prevented by human efforts, good will, and caring.” ―Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People and Nine Essential Things I’ve Learned About Life
“Miracles We Have Seen opens a window into the complex world of the art and the science of medicine for all to see the compassionate miracles dispensed there. Take a good look . . . you will be inspired!” ―Richard Carmona, MD, MPH, FACS, 17th Surgeon General of the United States
“These stories by doctors who are true healers have moved me to tears and opened my heart. Each, like the great doctor-writer Chekhov, brings to medicine a sense of compassion, deep vulnerability, love and hope for those who suffer, and the ability to acknowledge that human life is a precious gift.” ―Ruth Behar, author of Traveling Heavy: A Memoir in Between Journeys, and the Victor Haim Perera Collegiate Professor of Anthropology, University of Michigan
by Harry Glorikian
by Harley Rotbart 
A Potpourri of Promos, Book Talk, Entertainment & Articles of Interest from Chelle Cordero 