Norman Bethune
The Incredible Life and Tragic Death of a Revered Canadian Doctor
AUTHOR: Frances Hern
FORMAT: 5.5 x 8.5 pb / 128 pages
ISBN-10: 1-55153-793-1
ISBN-13: 9781551537931
One of the world’s top surgeons, an advocate of democratic medical services, and an international humanitarian, Norman Bethune risked his life to deliver blood to the front lines. He is revered in China as a hero, where he was a personal friend of Chairman Mao Zedong, and his unceasing and inventive work established a lasting bond between his adopted people and this heroic Canadian.
Prologue
Sacred Heart Hospital, Montreal, 1935
Dr. Norman Bethune showed his assistant the x-rays. There was no doubt that the patient had tuberculosis. Her entire right lung was abscessed.
"She's ten years old and an only child," snapped the
doctor. "It's too late for treatment. If that lung isn't removed, she'll be dead within three months."
His assistant nodded, frowning. He knew Norman was right. But he also knew the doctor would be taking a terrible risk if he removed the lung. This surgical procedure had never been attempted in Canada. "Will you try?" he asked.
Norman threw the x-rays onto a table and began pacing the floor. "I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "If only I'd seen her a year ago!"
Norman knew all too well that the girl's parents hadn't brought her to the hospital earlier because they couldn't afford to pay for treatment.
Finally, realizing how ill she was, the desperate couple had sought out the famous doctor and begged him to cure their daughter. They promised they would sell everything they owned to pay his fee. Dr. Norman Bethune was not concerned about his fee. He was concerned about the child.
Other doctors would not have risked ruining their reputation by performing surgery on a child who was quite likely to die on the operating table. Norman was not like other doctors.
He began mulling over his choices. If he didn't operate, she would live a few more painful months. If he did, she could die during the operation. Or, she might survive and lead an almost normal life.
He continued to agonize over his decision until the early hours of the next morning. As he tossed and turned in bed, he kept seeing the girl's dark sunken eyes and matchstick-thin arms. She deserved more. His mind finally made up, he sank into an exhausted sleep.
About the Author
Frances Hern grew up in Birmingham, England, and moved to Calgary, Alberta, with her husband in 1973. She has lived in Calgary ever since. As a child, Frances loved Saturday visits to the local library with her parents, and wrote poems and verses for homemade greeting cards. It wasn't until she had three children to share her favourite books with that she realized she wanted to write books as well as read them. Frances has had numerous articles published, and a short story and poem will be published by Scholastic Canada in the spring of 2005.
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