To paraphrase Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York", "If it can happen here, It can happen anywhere."

In Beverly Hills, California – home to the rich and famous – you might expect the best possible medical care. Instead, Karen received the care of a third world country.

Luxury prices were paid for the ultimate luxury hospital, the high cost of dying in style.  End-of-life care, Beverly Hills style. I had seen death at the top now, and it was no prettier than at the bottom. Just a bigger waste, and, for me, a bigger tragedy.

It certainly didn’t make me proud of my once scintillating medical career. The monument I was going to build to Karen by saving her life and resurrecting my own in the process, was nothing but a tiny pile of dust in a gilded urn. The facts are chilling and irrefutable.

Elie Wiesel said, “Whoever survives a test, whatever it may be, must tell the story. That is his duty.”  This book is my story. I hope it can smooth your journey through the health care system. As the Chinese say, ‘If you want to know what lies ahead, ask those coming back.”