描述
开 本: 16开纸 张: 胶版纸包 装: 精装是否套装: 否国际标准书号ISBN: 9780307718990
who is saving lives in a most unconventional way Ask Me Why I
Hurt is the touching and revealing first-person account of the
remarkable work of Dr. Randy Christensen. Trained as a
pediatrician, he works not in a typical hospital setting but,
rather, in a 38-foot Winnebago that has been refitted as a doctor’s
office on wheels. His patients are the city’s homeless adolescents
and children.
In the shadow of one affluent American city, Dr. Christensen has
dedicated his life to caring for society’s throwaway kids—the
often-abused, unloved children who live on the streets without
access to proper health care, all the while fending off constant
threats from thugs, gangs, pimps, and other predators. With the
Winnebago as his moveable medical center, Christensen and his team
travel around the outskirts of Phoenix, attending to the children
and teens who need him most.
With tenderness and humor, Dr. Christensen chronicles everything
from the struggles of the van’s early beginnings, to the support
system it became for the kids, and the ultimate recognition it has
achieved over the years. Along with his immense professional
challenges, he also describes the trials and joys he faces while
raising a growing family with his wife Amy. By turns poignant,
heartbreaking, and charming, Dr. Christensen’s story is a gripping
and rich memoir of his work and family, one of those rare books
that stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page.
“The story of Dr. Christensen’s care for homeless teenagers is
heartbreaking, but it highlights the everyday tragedies and
suffering happening in the shadows of our great country’s
accomplishments. Dr. Christensen’s recounting of his work and the
stories of his patients reminds us again and again that these are
our children and that we must do better by them. This is a
must-read for policymakers and anyone who cares about children’s
health.”
—Geoffrey Canada, President and CEO, Harlem Children’s Zone
“Dr. Randy Christensen has provided us with a book that is proof
positive that there are still heroes among us. These doctors,
nurses and social workers labor tirelessly to look after some of
our most vulnerable patients – homeless children. In this sensitive
and moving portrayal of caring for those most in need, Christensen
shows us that it is still possible to make a difference in the
world, one patient at a time.”
—Lisa Sanders, M.D., author of the New York Times bestseller
Every Patient Tells A Story, and New York Times
Magazine “Diagnosis” Columnist
“This is a remarkable story of what it’s like to be on the front
lines of medical care for extremely disadvantaged kids. Dr.
Christensen brings to life the realities of America’s forgotten and
bypassed street youth who struggle to survive. At the same
time, this story is a powerful glimpse into the extraordinary work
of doctors and nurses who have devoted their careers to caring for
people who have no where else to turn.”
—Dr. Irwin Redlener, President and Co-Founder of the Children’s
Health Fund
“Dr. Randy cares more about distressed kids than anyone I have met
in 44 years of worldwide reporting. His moving stories of
treating runaways are both comical and heartbreaking. He is a
remarkable Doc!!!”
—Fred Francis, Senior Correspondent NBC News
“[An] inspiring account of a doctor who truly puts his patients’
needs first… With just the right blend of personal history, patient
anecdotes, and relevent suggestions for health care improvement,
Christensen’s memoir is an uplifting yet sobering read.”
—Publishers Weekly
“In 2000, while working at Arizona’s Phoenix Children’s Hospital,
Christensen asked to be assigned a daunting task—leading a mobile
health-care unit aimed at serving homeless children. In the world
of modern medicine, this was not the obvious way to climb the
career ladder toward regular hours and a hefty salary. With a small
group of passionately committed providers, Christensen turned this
small community-service unit into an integral part of the urban
medical landscape. Along the way, he struggled to balance the
emotional and psychological demands of treating vulnerable children
with the pressures placed on his marriage and family life.
Ultimately, the children he encountered on the streets of Phoenix
become the real subjects of his memoir, co-authored with journalist
Denfield (Kill the Body, the Head Will Fall: A Closer Look at
Women, Violence, and Aggression, 1997, etc.). Christensen’s
many subjects include: Sugar, the pregnant young prostitute who
found her way to new life; the abused and neglected young man who
discovered love in a community home; and a mentally ill young woman
whose tragic murder resulted in part from the bureaucratic tangles
that prevented anyone from truly helping her. The title of the book
comes from the bracelet worn by one patient who was unable to tell
the story of the systematic abuse that left her homeless. The
author provides numerous heart-rending stories, yet, for such a
serious subject, the narrative is written with obvious joy and an
impassioned optimism for what health-care providers and communities
can achieve.”
—Kirkus
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