Jacqueline Gates' life changed forever one wintry morning in 1987. Her ten-year-old daughter, Joelle Rosebush, had been hit by a car as she crossed the street to come home with her two siblings, Heather and Keith. After a few days, the hospital couldn't do anything else for Joelle, and a helicopter transferred her to a new hospital where she spent six months on a respirator in a pediatric intensive care unit. In this heartfelt account, the author shares the emotions she and her family navigated as Joelle spent eighteen months in a vegetative state and the wrenching decision of taking her off life support after consulting with a medical bioethics committee, a social worker, family priest, and medical staff.
Category: BooksJacqueline Gates' life changed forever one wintry morning in 1987.
Her ten-year-old daughter, Joelle Rosebush, had been hit by a car as she crossed the street to come home with her two siblings, Heather and Keith.
After a few days, the hospital couldn't do anything else for Joelle, and a helicopter transferred her to a new hospital where she spent six months on a respirator in a pediatric intensive care unit.
In this heartfelt account, the author shares the emotions she and her family navigated as Joelle spent eighteen months in a vegetative state and the wrenching decision of taking her off life support after consulting with a medical bioethics committee, a social worker, family priest, and medical staff. At the time, there was no law in Michigan that allowed parents to remove a child from life support.
Gates also shares numerous poems, Bible verses, educational resources on grief, and insights on how journaling, leaning on the Lord, and drawing on her faith helped her find a positive side to grief.
Whether you're struggling with a loved one's poor health or illness or on your own grief journey, the author's experience will show that you're not alone.
