Part one of A First Step - Understanding Guillain-Barr Syndrome is a true, blow-by-blow account of the Author's encounter, as a healthy Canadian businessman, with a rare and devastating disease, Guillain-Barr Syndrome (G.B.S. for short). It describes his seven-month long struggle for life in 'Intensive Care' after receiving a grim prognosis, and his subsequent dogged determination to overcome the effects of that disease. The second part is devoted to short stories based on dreams and hallucinations experienced whilst he was in 'Intensive Care', which in themselves reveal something of what a patient was going through. They also serve to illustrate the narrow boundary between reality and the dream world, and which whilst making for entertaining reading, could possibly be the subject of further study. Although the Author is a layperson, in medical terms, it is believed this book will be an important aid to medical professionals and care-givers, providing as it does, new insights and a unique perspective on the effects, not only of the disease, Guillain-Barr Syndrome, but also of the handling and care of any long-term intensive care patient, and their subsequent rehabilitation. For the curious, it will answer many questions. For G.B.S. patients and their families it should provide inspirational reading. The foreword to the book has been written by Dr. Frank Warshawski, MD, FRCPC, Director of Intensive Care, Rockyview General Hospital, and Calgary. In addition to that prestigious involvement, the Author has been fortunate in receiving permission to use other material authored by exceptionally well qualified medical professionals, for which due credit is given in the 'Acknowledgements' section of the book, enabling him to produce not only an interesting publication, but an informative and educational one. In short, a 'must read' and deserving of a place on any medical bookshelf.
