If you’ve never heard of Toronto author Tilda Shalof, a.k.a. Nurse Tilda, you don’t know what you’re missing. Go out there right now and get her books A Nurse’s Story and The Making of a Nurse (these are the two I’ve read so far) — they are absolutely riveting reads. Her books are fascinating, insider stories of what it’s like to be a health care professional in an incredibly fast-paced, high-pressure, emotional roller coaster world filled with human tragedies and triumphs, in equal measure.

Tilda, who’s acclaimed books have been translated into several languages, works with my man, Chris, in the Medical-Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Toronto General Hospital of the University Health Network. For her latest publication, she has edited a compilation of short stories submitted by her colleagues, including one by Chris! The book is called Lives in the Balance: Nurses’ Stories from the ICU, and it’s available through Amazon.ca.

Here is the description, from Tilda’s website:

“Edited and introduced by bestselling author Tilda Shalof, this is a compelling collection of stories by twenty-five nurses working in the ICU, a fast-paced, highly technological environment where patients’ lives hang in the balance.  From cardiac, medical, surgical, and trauma units, ICU nurses share their experiences of caring for critically ill patients after major surgeries, illnesses, accidents, traumas, and even multiple-organ failures. In their own words, these highly skilled professionals impart their knowledge and insights, along with accounts of the many challenges, stresses, joys, and dilemmas they face in the ICU. The intense emotional and psychological issues that patients, families – and the nurses, themselves – undergo are also explored. This fascinating collection allows us to peer over the shoulders of nurses while they provide life-saving care to patients.”

Chris’s awesome submission is called “My First Code Blue,” and it’s featured on page 25. We just got copies in the mail yesterday so I’m looking forward to diving into this one at the cottage soon, and reading everyone else’s stories.  I’m so proud of my boy!