Sunday, October 14, 2012

The Cost of Hope by Amanda Bennett 362.196 Ben

Amanda Bennett has won a Pulitzer Prize  so you know that this is a well-written book.  By reading this book you will get an education about illness and health care in this country.  It is not a particularly political book but it will make you think about what is ahead for each of us.  She is just telling the story as it happened to her.  Amanda married Terence Foley whom she met while they were both in China.  Although they were total opposites and fighting was their main past time,  they eventually get married and become parents to two children.  Life is good until a radical operation to remove Terence's colon also reveals a shadow on his kidney.  And thus begins a long road and battle to save his life.  In a sense they were lucky.  Through her jobs Amanda had excellent health insurance.  She was aware enough of some of the bills paid by her insurance to know that not everyone would have had the options they did. And because of their ability to travel to doctors and attain expensive medicine, he successfully waged the battle for years.   After his death she used her journalistic skills to actually figure out what it cost.  These days the cost of hope is quite high. 

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