Heroic Acts in Humble Shoes

""A truly amazing experience in a truly amazing book. Not only do we hear what it is like to be a nurse but we can almost feel what the person has been through as we glimpse at the shoes that take them on their daily rounds. No other nursing-related book provides such a visceral experience."" — Allen Klein, Author of The Healing Power of Humor and The Courage to Laugh ""Caring, the essence of nursing is celebrated in this collection of the experiences of the unsung heroes of health care. The powerful impact of the blending of physical and social sciences with compassion and commitment is vividly demonstrated by 'walking in the shoes' of nurses as they silently make a profound difference in the lives they touch every day."" — Judith Lloyd Storfjell, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor & Associate Dean, Executive Director, Institute for Healthcare Innovation College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago ""To walk in the shoes of a nurse, as this wonderful and inspiring book invites us, is to take an intimate journey into the mysteries of life."" — Paul Costello, Author of The Presidential Plot: A Narrative Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Election, Founding Director of the Center for Narrative Studies, Washington DC, and Director of the Narrative Project at the Center for the Study of Values and Culture, Catholic University of America. ""These shoes and the stories of their owners help us…find a way into the hidden and forgotten stories of nursing and why it matters. The telling of these stories will help nurses value themselves and each other more and will reaffirm for us that we are privileged to be served by them."" — Victoria Ward, Founder and Partner, Sparknow ""These stories reaffirm the work of nurses, create self esteem for the worth of the work nurses do, and most nurses will come to the realization that they perform heroic acts when they care for patients. These stories of today will become the history of tomorrow and the wisdom for the future."" — Carolyn Hope Smeltzer, RN, EdD, FAAN, Editor/Author with Frances R. Vlasses, RN, PhD of Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives: The Stories of Nurses, and Chicago's Nurse Parade. Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Board Member, Advocate Health Care, Illinois, the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, Kansas, and Council of Regents Loyola University Chicago. ""Everyone will love the different personalities and variety of stories in this book whether they are healthcare professionals or not. And if you ever are looking for a great gift for a nurse, this is it. Don't put off reading this - it will give you a whole new appreciation for a wonderful, humble, heroic group of people - nurses."" — Rita Emmett, Author of The Procrastinator's Handbook, Manage Your Time to Reduce Your Stress: A Handbook for the Overworked, Overscheduled, and Overwhelmed, and The Clutter-Busting Handbook