MJ Muirhead is a retired oncologist with a particular interest in informed consent and the ways in which lay people get prompted to make decisions about their bodies. How individuals imagine their future and the means that physicians employ to enable this vision or to forestall reality shine a light on universal themes of hope and dashed expectations. The practice of medicine will always be a blend of tedium and bustle, tragedy and triumph, circus and horror show. The author has conveyed all of these in Longing for Laurie, his first traditionally published work of fiction.
Longing for Laurie is a Gothic tale based on the commemorative baby syndrome. Laurie Wilder, a vibrant young woman, suffers a cardiac arrest from a blood clot and is rendered vegetative. She and her husband Ted are childless. The families of husband and wife are divided, but agree on one thing
