If I Get to Five: What Children Can Teach Us About Courage and Character
- Book Review,
by Fred Epstein, et al
From Publishers Weekly
Epstein, a pediatric neurosurgeon at New York City's Beth Israel Hospital, has written an inspiring book recounting the struggles of not only his patients, but himself as well. After a long career treating patients for brain injuries and cancer, Epstein recently had a near-fatal bicycle accident that turned the tables on him. Suddenly, the expert surgeon found himself on the receiving end of a scalpel. While the book touches upon his own challenges during the slow recovery and rehabilitation process, Epstein draws more upon the examples of his young patients to successfully banish fear from his life. He candidly examines the lives of not only those patients who have made brilliant recoveries under his care, but also the children who weren't so lucky. The book's title derives from words spoken by Naomi, a four-year-old whose brain tumor would eventually take two surgeries to eradicate. Though the child seemed to inherently understand the gravity of her situation, she made plans: "If I get to five, I'm going to jump rope-backward!" Epstein and Horwitz handle topics such as hope and spiritual awareness gracefully, without being preachy, and the book should serve as an important tool for families or individuals coping with grave illnesses. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
A doctor who treats children with supposedly inoperable tumors passes on the wisdom he has learned from his charges. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
A four-year-old tumor patient inspired the title of Epstein's book as well as a new perspective on the lessons adults can learn from children about resiliency in the face of medical crises. Epstein drew on those lessons when he helped establish a neuroscience center at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York and in the midst of his own personal crisis after suffering a head injury and brain damage. He details his journey from a surgeon fascinated by technology to one with a more humanistic approach, which he expresses through touching his patients, talking and listening to them more deeply, and using the wisdom and bravery he has learned from sick kids. He poignantly recalls cases of children who have helped their families deal with the trauma of brain injury even as they themselves have been the ones undergoing gruesome surgery and taxing rehabilitation. Epstein also includes letters and poems from children and parents, conveying the importance of faith and resilience. A truly inspiring book. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
Dear Dr. Epstein,
I admire and laud your "vision." Your concept of going beyond the scientific and technical boundaries in treating patients in your hospital is most encouraging.
With prayers and good wishes,
The Dalai Lama
Book Description
A world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon shares the lessons of courage, compassion, and resilience that he's learned from his exceptional young patients
If I Get to Five is a one-of-a-kind book by a one-of-a-kind human being. The medical world knows him as Fred Epstein, M.D., the neurosurgeon who pioneered life-saving procedures for previously inoperable tumors in children. His patients and their families know him simply as Dr. Fred, the "miracle man" who has extended them both a healing hand and an open heart.
"I simply can't accept the idea of kids dying," is how Epstein explains his commitment to saving patients. As a child, he had to overcome severe learning disabilities to realize his dream of becoming a doctor. Later, as the world's leading pediatric neurosurgeon, he did whatever it took to rescue children that other doctors had given up on.
Epstein credits his young patients as his most important teachers. "We tend to think of children as fragile, little people," he writes. "To me, they're giants." If I Get to Five relates the unforgettable experiences he's shared with children-lessons in courage, compassion, love, and hope-that we can all draw on to overcome adversity at any stage of life. In If I Get to Five, Epstein meditates on these lessons at a time when they parallel his own experiences, as he recovers from a near-fatal head injury.
If I Get to Five is a riveting profile of courage and compassion. No one who reads this remarkable book will ever look at children-or adversity-in the same way.
From the Inside Flap
"This book is a testament to the extraordinary depth, power, and resiliency of children's spirits. It is also a fresh reminder to all parents of what a precious gift each child is." Marian Wright Edelman, president, Children's Defense Fund "A magnificent tribute to human resiliency and hopefulness. From Dr. Epstein's portrayals of children who have found meaning amid horror to his own superbly interwoven autobiography of a boyhood marred by academic failure, we see the emergence of a truly great man. Readers will feel energized by this remarkable portrayal of life's uphill battles." Mel Levine, M.D., author of A Mind at a Time
About the Author
Fred Epstein, M.D., is the founding director of the Institute for
Neurology and Neurosurgery at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. He has served as president of the International
Society of Pediatric Neurosurgery and president of the American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgery. Epstein lives with his wife and children in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Joshua Horwitz is the president of Living Planet Books, a book packaging firm that specializes in health, psychology, and spirituality titles. He is the co-author of Wrestling with Angels and lives in Washington, D.C.
Excerpted from If I Get to Five by Fred Epstein, Josh Horwitz. Copyright © 2003. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
From If I Get to Five: The title of this book was inspired by one of my young patients. Naomi was only four years old when she arrived at the hospital. I had few surgical options, but I knew I had to do something quickly or she would certainly die. Naomi was a feisty kid with dancing eyes and a willfulness I've rarely seen in adults. During my first conversation with her, she announced defiantly: "If I get to five, I'm going to learn to ride a two-wheeler!" When I saw her each day on rounds, she'd update me on her plans. "If I get to five, I'm going to beat my older brother at tic-tac-toe." "If I get to five, I'm going to jump rope-backward!"I found myself drawing courage from this four-year-old girl. She understood intuitively that to get to five, she needed to look forward to the next level of mastery. She strengthened my resolve to never give up on a child, no matter how daunting the course in front of me appeared. Children like Naomi are geniuses at raising the bar for themselves, clearing the bar, and setting it one notch higher. Working with children raises the bar for me, and for everyone else whose lives they touch. Naomi got to five, and never looked back. Today she's a happy, twenty-nine-year-old woman who loves life. The lesson she taught me still guides me today.
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