Healing: When a Nurse becomes a Patient BLOG TOUR @algonquinbooks @theresabrown

“People failed me when I was a patient and I failed patients when working as a nurse. I see that now.”

Learning of a Cancer diagnosis is devastating. It turns your whole world upside down and is overwhelming to imagine and deal with. That is what happened to Theresa Brown, who had years of experience and training in oncology and as a hospice nurse. But that training did not prepare her when she received her own diagnosis. She had to navigate not only the health care field and red tape, she had to do her own research all the while knowing that asking too many questions could get her labeled as a difficult patient.

Theresa Brown has first hand knowledge of what it is like to be on both sides of the spectrum. To be on the side providing care and help, to be the one who needed help and caring. Brown gives readers a glimpse into her world, her life, her cancer treatment and her navigation of the the field she worked in. She also shares some of her own cases from when she worked in the oncology and hospice field.

I found this book to be well written and I appreciated how shared her own personal story. This book also shows her growth, her resiliency. She learned a lot and also was able to reflect on previous cases, her regrets and to acknowledge that she didn’t know the affect that the disease and treatment had on people. It’s one thing to see and another thing to experience.

I found this to be a powerful and moving book. I loved her honesty and her insight on being a patient vs. being a healer. Navigating our health care system is hard enough when you are healthy – what you insurance will pay for, co-pays, denying coverage, etc. But to imagine when you are faced with a serious health issues, it can be nightmare that one does not need when facing a medical crisis.

This was my first book by Theresa Brown and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.


Well written, moving, and powerful.

Thank you to Amanda Dissinger, Algonquin Books and Theresa Brown who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

#Algonquinbooks #TheresaBrown