John Graham-Pole

A physician celebrates the nursing profession, offering a paean of praise to his countless nurse colleagues, friends, and mentors over almost fifty years of learning, teaching, and practicing at four universities. John's opening words recall his earliest learning: "Two nurses-one very senior and one very junior-became my first teachers during my apprenticeship in the art and science of caring for those in need."From his compelling stories of encounters between patients, nurses, and himself, he draws these vital conclusions: * Nurses are an essential resource for every doctor to learn the art and science of healthcare* Through their every act of kindness, nurses make infinite contributions to our gift economy* Everyone should pray there'll be such nurses by our bedsides when our time of need comesDr. Laurie Gottlieb, Professor of Nursing at McGill University and author of Strengths-Based Nursing, says in her Foreword: "Dr. Graham-Pole is a gifted storyteller. Each story is vivid and specific in detail, evoking a reaction both visceral and cognitive. This book brims with wisdom and insights that guide, teach, inspire, and point the way to becoming the best one aspires to be. Dr. Graham-Pole has brought out of hiding this aspect of medicine's hidden curriculum by acknowledging the impact of nurses in shaping a doctor's identity and how they choose to practice their profession.

Written by a renowned children's cancer specialist, Blood Work is a fictional but true-to-life-account of just such a near-fatal illness. It is also a life-and-death adventure and a coming-of-age romance. The story tells of sixteen-year-old Moraig ("Raig") Broussard's journey through the trauma of cancer and its treatment. It opens as Raig wakes up in a hospital room, utterly unaware of how she came to be there. Events of the past weeks unfold like a high-speed movie: how she'd lost her head to school football star, Hilton Sears, had come close to losing her virginity, had ended up in a downtown dance hall with a false ID, drunk several Margaritas in quick succession, blacked out and had to be ambulanced to the local Emergency Room, close to death from blood poisoning arising from an infected belly stud. Oncologist Maddie Sullivan lays out the stark reality to her-leukemia is immediately threatening her life. Raig is hurtled into the maelstrom of cancer therapy, an odyssey from which she emerges physically and emotionally scarred and embittered towards the world. Cut off from her friends and totally rejecting her parents' efforts at support, she draws comfort from Maddie's loving care-herself a life-long sufferer from spina bifida. But nothing appeases Raig's despair at losing her blond curls and eye-catching figure, while developing rolls of fat and colonies of zits. At this lowest-of-low points, a high-school friend texts her that her football star beau Hilton has been busted for selling drugs. She at once rejects all further cancer treatment. Her parents' shaky marriage is rocked by their daughter's rebellion, coupled with their own helplessness. Freed from the hospital's torments, Raig sets out to recapture her physical and mental toughness, only to suffer a major head injury in a bike accident. Back in Intensive Care, blood is pressing down on her brain-and her leukemia has recurred in full force. During emergency surgery she undergoes a near-death experience, during which she talks to her dead grandfather. He reignites her will to live, and in her twilight state she agrees to further cancer therapy. An ally appears: Rap, a high-school senior and hospital volunteer, who introduces her to the healing benefits of the drum and the paintbrush. As Raig fights her way through her ordeal, and as her feelings for Rap deepen, she helps her parents draw close once more. The story closes as Raig, now eighteen and newly finished her chemotherapy, ponders the uncertainties of the future: Will her parents stay together? What of Rap and herself? Most of all-will she stay cancer-free, build a career, and live to raise children of her own? As she speeds her bike towards younger brother Ewan's ice hockey game, these questions give way before a newfound resilience and lust for life. Renowned author Sheldon Currie says of Blood Work: "A beautifully written story that will capture the hearts and imagination of all its readers." Fourteen-year-old Ispeeta Ahmed writes: "This phenomenal book perfectly depicts the life-and-death battle of a teen with cancer, including humour, a beautiful romance, and even elements of fantasy." An entertaining and educational read for not only teens but adults, too -- more than 50% of whom read YA novels

JOURNEYS WITH A THOUSAND HEROES: A Child Oncologist's Story by John Graham-PoleJohn Graham-Pole's thoughtful, moving and surprisingly open memoir traces the arc of his long career as a pediatric oncologist from its origins in the early loss of his mother to cancer through his early medical training in Britain, his role in the dramatic evolution of cancer treatments in the U.S., especially stem cell treatments, to a more holistic idea of the practice of medicine that includes the use of the arts and end-of-life hospice care. Through stories of his thousand young heroes, Dr. Graham-Pole explores issues core to cancer treatment and the training of doctors, including what treatment risks are worth taking in a fast developing field, what is the nature of informed consent, especially with children--and how does a doctor come to grow as much in compassion as he does in knowledge."If you have any doubts about the fundamental synergy between science and compassion--and the wisdom that can be gained from respectful interaction with seriously ill youngsters, read this book. John Graham-Pole describes clearly his journey through life with feet planted in two continents, with love for both science and the arts, and with deep respect for both living and dying. And perhaps most importantly, he describes how much physicians and their young patients can learn about life from each other." Allen Neims, MD, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics; Dean, College of Medicine; Director, Center for Spirituality and Health University of Florida"Why would a man choose the heart-wrenching career of caring for children with cancer? How does a person grapple with the ethics of performing cutting-edge clinical trials on children whose parents may or may not understand the risks? How does a profoundly empathetic soul, who has seen too many die in his care, make sense of this experience and leave the world a much better place? Pediatric hematology/oncology pioneer and consummate thought leader and teacher John Graham-Pole developed brand new therapies that have become bedrock today. Simultaneously, he brought art, specifically poetry, to the bedside to honor young people who lost their life under his care. He was among the very first to bring artists into the hospital to work their healing with patients, families, and staff, co-creating one of the first, perhaps still the leading, Arts-in-Medicine programs globally. His boldness, integrity, creativity, and human empathy shine through throughout this memoir. It is a must read for anyone considering a career in medicine or any branch of health care." William Slayton, MD, Stop Children's Cancer Endowed Chair; Chief, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of FloridaDr. John Graham-Pole is a retired professor of pediatrics. Originally educated in the United Kingdom, he has been a clinician, teacher and pioneer researcher in the field of childhood cancer for over twenty-five years in the U.S.. In 1991, he co-founded Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida, one of the nation's leading university hospital arts program. As well as over 120 scientific publications, he has published poems and essays on the healing arts, and is author of Illness and the Art of Creative Self-Expression. He also performs as an improvisational actor and clown. He has been a board member for several national organizations, including the American Holistic Medical Association, Society for Arts in Healthcare and the National Association for Poetry Therapy. He currently lives in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

Through poetry both poignant and light, somber and uplifting, university pediatrician and oncologist John Graham-Pole has captured the spirit of children in sickness and in health. A clinician, teacher, researcher and writer for over 30 years, the author has opened a window on the subjective world of health care. There is immediacy and joy, humility and intimacy in this depiction of a doctor's life working, and playing, with children, coupled with memories and reflections on his own childhood and youth. Of the inexplicable nature of illness and suffering, the author says in his foreword: "Of some mysteries only poems can make meaning. Poems turn denial and withdrawal into compassion—feeling with. They turn fear into mercy—thank you—their guiding hand carries us over a bridge of communication and celebration; their timeless rhythm balances the polarities and synergies of our lives." The poems are beautifully illustrated by fellow physician David Crown, who is the President of the International Mezzotint Society, and whose artwork is exhibited in galleries worldwide.