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Life with Sudden Death: A Tale of Moral Hazard and Medical Misadventure
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Life with Sudden Death: A Tale of Moral Hazard and Medical Misadventure Hardback - 2009

by Michael Downing

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After the sudden death of his father and later his brother, Downing discovers he had inherited a mutant protein, and that the first symptom would be his sudden death. This harrowing story is a tale of Downing's medical misadventures in one of Boston's best hospitals.

Reader reviews for Life with Sudden Death: A Tale of Moral Hazard and Medical Misadventure

From the publisher

The youngest of nine children, Michael Downing was three when his father died -- suddenly and inexplicably. No autopsy was performed. The family diagnosis was God's will.

As a boy, Downing rigorously trained as a spiritual athlete, preparing to vault into heaven. But eventually he escaped the religious dogma, and the family arena -- until one of his brothers died in 2003, suddenly and inexplicably. No autopsy was performed.

Alarmed, Downing pursued a diagnosis: Drawn into a world of researchers, clinicians, and manufacturers with their own arcane ethics and faith, Downing discovered he had inherited a mutant protein from his father, and the first symptom would be his sudden death.

To save his life, a defibrillator was hard-wired to his heart. Within weeks, he needed emergency surgery to remove the device and the life-threatening infection he got with it. Two months later, he was re-implanted -- only to read in his morning newspaper that the new wires anchored to his heart were prone to failure. His device might be powerless, or it might deliver a series of unwarranted, possibly fatal, shocks.

From a bedeviled boyhood in the Berkshires to a grim comedy of errors in one of Boston's best hospitals, Life with Sudden Death is a wild ride.

Details

  • Title Life with Sudden Death: A Tale of Moral Hazard and Medical Misadventure
  • Author Michael Downing
  • Binding Hardback
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 244
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Counterpoint LLC
  • Publication date 2009-10
  • ISBN 9781582435220 / 1582435227
  • Weight 1.25 lbs (0.57 kg)
  • Dimensions 9 x 6 x 0.9 in (22.86 x 15.24 x 2.29 cm)
  • Category Biography / Autobiography
  • Library of Congress subjects Authors, American - 20th century, Genetic disorders - United States
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2009025605
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

About the author

Michael Downing's novels include the national bestseller Perfect Agreement, named one of the 10 Best Books of the year by Amazon and Newsday, and Breakfast with Scot, a comedy about two gay men who inadvertently become parents. An American Library Association honor book, Breakfast with Scot was adapted as a movie that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. His nonfiction includes Shoes Outside the Door: Desire, Devotion, and Excess at San Francisco Zen Center, hailed by the New York Review of Books as a dramatic and insightful narrative history of the first Buddhist monastery outside of Asia, and by the Los Angeles Times as a highly readable book. His essays and reviews appear in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and other periodicals. Michael teaches creative writing at Tufts University. He and his partner have lived together in Cambridge for more than 25 years.

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Life with Sudden Death: A Tale of Moral Hazard and Medical Misadventure
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Life with Sudden Death: A Tale of Moral Hazard and Medical Misadventure

by Michael Downing

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  • Hardback
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Counterpoint Press, 2009. Hardcover. Very Good. Missing dust jacket; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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Life with Sudden Death : A Tale of Moral Hazard and Medical Misadventure

Life with Sudden Death : A Tale of Moral Hazard and Medical Misadventure

by Michael Downing

  • Used
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  • Hardback
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Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781582435220 / 1582435227
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Description:
Counterpoint Press, 2009. Hardcover. Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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A$21.03
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Life with Sudden Death: A Tale of Moral Hazard and Medical Misadventure
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Life with Sudden Death: A Tale of Moral Hazard and Medical Misadventure

by Downing, Michael

  • Used
  • Hardback
Condition
Used
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781582435220 / 1582435227
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Counterpoint, 2009-10-13. hardcover. Used: Good. 6.38x0.90x9.28. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
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Life with Sudden Death: A Tale of Moral Hazard and Medical Misadventure
Stock photo: cover may vary

Life with Sudden Death: A Tale of Moral Hazard and Medical Misadventure

by Downing, Michael

  • Used
  • Good
  • Hardback
Condition
Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781582435220 / 1582435227
Quantity available
1
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hardcover. Good. Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book.
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