I have had the pleasure of meeting Martine Ehrenclou, author of The Take-Charge Patient. She is an incredible patient advocate, who also happens to be wickedly smart and intuitive. Martine’s efforts fall nothing short of excellent.
You will find that The Take-Charge Patient speaks to everyone. Martine has essentially created a healthcare life vest and thrown it out there to help all of us. If you are wondering why some have sweet success in the healthcare arena while others are barely staying afloat, look no further.
Martine weaves her personal story beautifully and effectively throughout this book. Her offerings come from a place of witness, both personally and professionally. Martine’s story is unique, but it is one that is frequently and sadly repeated with different health conditions every day. Her tips, tricks and checklists are invaluable to anyone navigating the health care system.
Martine’s story is an unfortunate series of circumstances that have come full circle. Most ironically, she began to use the tactics from her first book Critical Conditions: The Essential Hospital Guide To Get Your Loved One Out Alive during her personal path of discovery about her health condition. Martine’s experiences throughout this process provided real life fodder for The Take-Charge Patient.
As a nurse, a patient, and a mother of a child with medical needs, I stand behind the tenets of this book. Medicine is infamously known for whipping right by you, rather than wrapping its arms around you. It is a rapid fire confusing process, and there is never enough time to address all of the patients needs both physically and emotionally. This book serves up wonderful recipes to successfully tackle our healthcare system- and come out on top.
What is the primary driver to read this book? If I’m certain about one thing it’s this- you or a loved one will be a patient in our health care system in your lifetime. The Take-Charge Patient is a brilliant headlamp, illuminating the way to a proactive and positive experience.
Cheers to Martine and her ability to take her life experience and turn it into a positive, comprehensive guide for others.