Prelude to Change: Struggling to Survive With Chronic Kidney Failure
by George Van Giesen, Jr.
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Feb 27 2017 | Archive Date Mar 07 2018
Talking about this book? Use #PreludeToChange:strugglingToSurviveWithChronicKidneyFailure #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
IT IS NOT OFTEN that the right circumstances, the right people and the right place all line up with the right vision to bring about change for good. We already know that in the 1960s good and strong people stood up for a vision of a country without the boundaries of segregation, for the vision of a country of freedom for every class of citizen, but what we sometimes fail to see is the ripple effect of such a just cause, a society bound together by change and the desire for the opportunities of change.
In 1963 a young Dr. George Van Giesen returned to the segregationist state of his birth, Georgia, to start his new practice in renal medicine. His clients were both black and white, often poor, but after the momentous enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 his first act was creating a colorblind office, a necessary act that established a pattern of service to his community and his patients.
Prelude to Change amply illustrates that Dr. Van Giesen is a generous man, facilitating, at least for that time, cutting-edge and practical treatment for those with chronic renal (kidney) failure.
Prelude to Change also shows that when the right man, the right opportunity, and the right environment align for transformation, anything is possible. In this heart-warming memoir his patients stories are proof that the heart, as much as the mind, is necessary for success.
Advance Praise
"The spread of dialysis and transplantation has depended on many extraordinary local stories, but they are rarely told, most writing coming from academic centers. George Van Giesen's remarkable memoir is presented as a series of memorable case histories." Neil Turner M.D., Professor of Nephrology, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
"Early in the history of organ transplantation, the shortage of available organs and transplant centers was a major problem. This book depicts the efforts of a solo practitioner to keep his patients alive in hopes of receiving a kidney. To appreciate the progress that has been made, read the book, Prelude to Change."
Harry C. Sherman, M.D., Retired surgeon, Augusta, Georgia.
"Retired Augusta physician, George Van Giesen, Jr. chronicles his time spent establishing Augusta's first dialysis facility in his memoir, Prelude to Change: Struggling to Survive with Chronic Kidney Failure. Set in the '60s, the book explores the concerns of his patients, both black and white, often poor, and the changes that took place in his practice after the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964." By the Book: The Augusta Chronicle
Available Editions
| ISBN | 9781938667657 |
| PRICE | $5.99 (USD) |
Links
Featured Reviews
V N, Reviewer
As a person who have had family members and friends on dialysis, I was very excited to read this book. Very detailed account of dialysis, its methods and how a doctor worked to bring this to the people of the area he was in. Good account of various patients and their journey with becoming dialysis patients. If you know anything about dialysis, this book also confirms how far this treatment has came. Very clear writing and informative. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book.
Dani P, Reviewer
This was a very interesting book that caught my attention because of my partner currently battling Stage 2 kidney failure. It's been hard dealing with understanding her health issues on top of battling my own disabilities but this book helped me understand more about the ins and outs. I appreciate the opportunity to read this book.
Zara M, Reviewer
This book looks at the development of nephrology/ dialysis in the States over the last 50 years within a political and economical setting. Very interesting read, well written. Dr Van Giesen comes across as professional and caring, and I particularly enjoyed following the course of patient's disease over several chapters rather than in once short chapter as other similar medical type books tend to do. My one ctitique is that the book is jargon heavy, that even I in the medical field wasn't always sure what the various tests meant as jargon can be country specific and expert specific.
A book I would recommend to all with interests in the advances in modern medicine. It really does show the massive strides we have made in living memory. Thank you to netgalley, publishers and authors for my copy
Readers who liked this book also liked:
