Relaxing With A Good Book

This weekend was a much needed getaway for me. I spent time up in the northern tip of PA and relaxed most of the weekend with a good book. I also took a few hours to drive up to Corning, New York.

When I was a child my parents would take my sister and I up there and it was always one of the best memories I had. We drove by Watkins Glen which is a big road course race track that we went camping at as kids and where we stayed for the races. We also passed by the town of Elmira, where we once stayed in this little motel with my parents, sister and my Grammy (my dad’s mom). It was just a very funny memory I had.

Any how most of my childhood vacations I remember and enjoyed the most occurred in NY. Maybe that is why I am so fascinated with the state and have always wanted to live there. Either way it was a great trip and I can’t wait to make memories with the kids in upstate NY someday!

Corning was just like I remembered it. Amazing and watching them blow glass was so neat.


The rest of the weekend I spent reading a book called Josie’s story. A coworker of mine had been given the book for one of our Patient Centered Experience conferences here at the hospital I work for. When she left our dept in November she gave me the book. I had always seen it at her desk and was curious as to what it was about. I started to read it but like most of us I have just not had time to keep up with each chapter. So this weekend I made a promise to get through at least half the book and I am glad I did.


Here is a brief overview of Josie’s story taken from her mother Sorrel’s website: http://www.josieking.org/


CREATING A CULTURE OF PATIENT SAFETY, TOGETHER


On February 22, 2001, eighteen-month old Josie King died from medical errors.


98,000 people die every year from medical errors, making it one of the leading causes of death in the United States.


The Josie King Foundation’s mission is to prevent others from dying or being harmed by medical errors. By uniting healthcare providers and consumers, and funding innovative safety programs, we hope to create a culture of patient safety, together.

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The book is about Sorrel’s journey through the medical system whose error unfortunately took her daughters life.

Josie passed away from a mistake made by John Hopkin’s Hospital. John Hopkins is known as one of the best hospitals in the world.

It is the hospital where my son Robby’s specialists are located. This book goes through her ups and downs of losing her beautiful girl to a medical error and how Sorrel is now crusading throughout the country to help make medical care safe for everyone. She is helping hospitals learn how to work as teams and how having a Rapid Response team in place could have saved her little girl.

At the hospital which I work, Lehigh Valley Hospital, we were lucky to have her come and speak to us on her journey of advocacy and I am so glad I was given this book.

This is a mother who is advocating for her child, like we all do everyday. I really encourage you to read this book if you can. It will make you cry, it will make you smile, but most of all we can all relate to Sorrel’s journey in some way.