THE WRONG SIDE OF AN ILLNESS

About the Book

The Wrong Side of an Illness: A Doctor's Love Story is a non-fiction novel based on the memoirs of a general hospital psychiatrist whose life is turned upside down by physical signs of his wife's silent illness. What follows is his extraordinary account of their journey through her battle with ovarian cancer. His ability to translate emotion into prose allows him to share with his reader the subtle nuances of the narrator's altered role, the family's experience, the complexity of medical interactions in the setting of tragic illness, and the hope that follows from a loving marriage and a fulfilling career of patient care. Her fatal illness is the subject of a candid narration of love, loss, and recovery.

About the Author

Owen Surman, M.D., is a practicing general hospital psychiatrist known internationally for his work on psychiatric and ethical aspects of solid organ transplantation. Following the death of his wife, Dr. Surman devoted six years to writing this memoir with a deeply personal and unique view of events both tragic and transcendent. He now lives in Boston with his new wife.