Shared Struggles: Stories from Parents and Pediatricians Caring for Children with Serious Illnesses, by Ann Schrooten, tells 46 true stories from both sides of the physician-patient/parent relationship from families throughout the U.S. and doctors from many of the best children’s hospitals.
Writing the book was a natural extension of Ann’s more than 15 years of experience interacting with the many health care professionals who cared for her special-needs son, who passed away in 2014 when he was 15.
Ann co-authored the book with Dr. Barry Markovitz, a pediatrician specializing in critical care medicine.
“There are more than 3 million children in the U.S. living with complex medical conditions, which is a lot of parent-physician interactions,” Ann said in a recent interview.
The book groups stories by Hope, Compassion, Communication, and Trust.
“Life for parents of children with complex medical conditions is tough, and, in some of the stories, kids die. The hope is that this book opens the eyes of both parents and physicians so they better understand what each other is thinking and feeling,” Ann said.
Shared Struggles is available at Amazon.
Ann Schrooten is an estate planning, probate, and real estate attorney at Fitzgibbons Law Offices. in Casa Grande.
