A steamy romance it is not. Brainwreck is a chilling medical narrative befitting no formal genre. But it begs to be told. There is no other book on the market like it. Casting aside content advice and admonitions, the story goes boldly forth to raise awareness of serious inadequacies in healthcare. The tale is a quick read, unlike the unfathomable odyssey revealed within its pages. The journey began with a trip to an emergency room to treat a head laceration after a fall. I exited twenty-six days later, critically ill, and with my life forever changed. Ultimately, it became my mission to find out how this happened, a daunting task as I had no memory of my hospitalization. My mind had replaced trauma experiences with fabricated memories, some of which are related in the story. I felt this psychological tactic was a saving grace. While health issues generally spiral those of age downward, my progression was a curiosity. My tale takes you through unimaginable experiences from hospital to nursing home care, then on to assisted living. These negative encounters left me to question my care. Was care given in line with patient needs and expectations, or highly inadequate? You be the judge.
