Introduction 21
man wearing thick black glasses, or that Mrs. Y is a shy, young Latina with
dangling silver earrings. I refer to each person by providing not a photo of
each, but their descriptions of their inner and outer worlds. Invariably, any
such attempt to break up an individual’s narrative into discrete topics
risks doing some disservice to the ‘‘whole.’’ In the end, such distinctions
are both real and artificial, since these categories interrelate. At times,
similar underlying themes emerge in different guises. For example, denial
manifests itself in many aspects of individuals’ lives, from how they
treat themselves to how they interact with colleagues and friends. I have
tried to organize these types of implications, to present them coherently
rather than diffusely. In the end, I think the reader will gain a sense of both
the common themes and these doctors as individuals, grasping both the
breadth and the depth of these extraordinary lives.
Below, I first lay out the ranges of problems that these individuals
confronted—as patients, and as doctors treating others—and then the
ways that they addressed and often solved these. Through their journeys,
these doctors questioned many areas. Part of my intention here is to pres-
ent the full scope of the issues in these individuals’ lives, and the fissures,
cracks, and successes of contemporary medicine. Eradicating the prob-
lems that these physicians identify will require further efforts. But to
recognize them is itself a vital first step toward cure.