Editorial Review:

The luminous true story of a friendship that shed the boundaries of the doctor-patient relationship and became less a confrontation with death than a celebration of the joys of life

When young gynecologic oncology fellow Lois Ramondetta was first summoned to the room of a new patient, neither she nor the forty-nine-year-old professor of religion she encountered named Deborah Sills thought they had much in common. They certainly had no idea that they were about to embark on a transcendent odyssey that would become a soul-deep friendship. Now their heartfelt story, The Light Within, follows these two women through a decade of friendship and "big lives"--husbands, children, friends, and careers--ultimately crossing the country and traveling to foreign lands, where they spoke and wrote together about the intersection of doctors, patients, and spirituality. Both women searched together and openly for answers with honesty and intimacy until Deborah passed away in the spring of 2006.

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0

A Spiritual Friendship:

I purchased this for my Kindle after reading a reference to it in an AMAevoice email. Being a nurse and a nurse with many physician friends it intrigued me. Weeks after the book was delivered and waiting to be read I was diagnosed with cancer. I hesitated, should I read it now or after my surgery, after my radiation? I began to read, secure in the knowledge that if it became too painful I could always stop. I am so thankful I read it....it has become and will be an inspiration to me not only as a cancer... more info

It made me a better physician and friend:

How deeply moved I was by this book! I could relate to so many of the situations described. I want you to know that I will be a better physician because of this beautiful story. It is refreshing and "enlightening" to know that we can become personal friends with our patients!

A Compelling Read:

This book is an extraordinary account of a deep friendship between a terminal cancer patient and a surgeon - the sort of thing that "is not supposed to happen." The physician allows her empathy for the dying patient to blossom into a full-blown, outside-of-the-hospital friendship including international travel together, and culminating in the writing of this book. The patient, a professor of comparative religion, maintains her zest for life and outgoing personality until the disease gets the best of her.... more info

spirituality and Medicene:

Spirituality and medicine seems an unlikely combination until you read The Light Within. Finally we have a doctor who addresses the need for doctors to get involved with their patients lives when those patients are faced with a terminal illness. The interweaving of the two stories allows us to understand what the real meaning of spirituality is for both the doctor and the patient. Each helps the other to grow and deepen their own lives in-spite of difficult emotional setbacks. Even though the patient dies... more info

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