Turning Turtle: A Memoir of a Man Who Would "Never Walk Again"
About this book
A world expert in linguistics, a former Associate Provost of MIT, an engaged and curious world traveler, an accomplished musician, Samuel Jay Keyser is no ordinary man. But in the blink of instant, he suffered a medical catastrophe and became Everyman in the American health care system. His story is one of extraordinary performance by EMTs, doctors, nurses, and physical therapists, allowing him to overcome a high likelihood of lifetime paralysis. His story, though, also reflects the disjointedness of the healthcare system, the occasional insensitivity and ineptitude of those in it, and the potential for harm while under the treatment of otherwise highly trained medical professionals. Finally, his story is one of inequity, the random process by which some Americans receive the best of care at virtually no cost to themselves, while others are deprived of life-giving technologies and therapies for financial reasons.