Angels in the ER

“People caring for people. Compassion and lovingkindness in difficult circumstances. This is the medicine we need the most, and it is administered on every page of
Angels in the ER,
a chronicle of mankind at its best.”

—R
ICHARD
T
HOMAS

Film, television, and stage actor

“John-Boy” on
The Waltons
and host of
It’s a Miracle

“
Angels in the ER
is hard to put down. You are
right there
with Dr. Lesslie in every circumstance, and each situation shows the spiritual dimension of life and death in a way most of us will never experience on our own. I can only compare the demand for moment-to-moment decision-making with my time on the basketball court. I enjoyed every story.”

—B
OBBY
J
ONES
,

Cofounder 2XSALT, four-time NBA All-Star, and

member of the 1983 World Champion Philadelphia 76ers

“In an age when patients are viewed as Social Security numbers, Dr. Lesslie recovers the fading image of a caring doctor for whom the patient is center stage…If I ever land in an emergency room, I hope Dr. Lesslie is there waiting for me.”

—R
ANDALL
R
UBLE
,

President, Erskine College and Seminary

“We meet an amazing cast of characters who come through the doors of a South Carolina hospital emergency room…But Robert Lesslie is also there, a faithful, empathetic physician with a heart for compassion and a keen eye for the presence of God in the midst of human need.”

—T
HOMAS
L
ONG
,

Bandy Professor of Preaching,

Candler School of Theology, Emory University

Robert D. Lesslie, MD

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON

All Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION
^®
. NIV
^®
. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Cover by Left Coast Design, Portland, Oregon

Cover photo © Ryan McVay / Digital Vision / Getty Images

Back-cover author photo © Penny Young

This book is not intended to take the place of sound professional medical advice. Neither the author nor the publisher assumes any liability for possible adverse consequences as a result of the information contained herein.

All the incidents described in this book are true. Where individuals may be identifiable, they have granted the author and the publisher the right to use their names, stories, and/or facts of their lives in all manners, including composite or altered representations. In all other cases, names, circumstances, descriptions, and details have been changed to render individuals unidentifiable.

ANGELS IN THE ER

Copyright © 2008 by Robert D. Lesslie, MD
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

 Lesslie, Robert D, 1951-

 Angels in the ER / Robert D. Lesslie.

      p. cm.

 Includes bibliographical references.

 ISBN-13: 978-0-7369-2315-6 (pbk.)

 ISBN-10: 0-7369-2315-2

 1. Hospitals—Emergency services—Popular works. 2. Emergency medical personnel—Popular works. I. Title.

 RA975.5.E5L47 2008

 362.18—dc22

2007052796

All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

08  09  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  /VP-SK/  11  10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1

 
To Barbara—
 

The angel in my life

Layout of the Rock Hill ER

Angels in Our Midst

  1:
The Nature of the Beast

  2:
The Least of These

  3:
A Turn in the Road

  4:
All God’s Children

  5:
The Experience of Grief

  6:
The Generations Pass

  7:
Demon Rum

  8:
It Must Have Been a Miracle

  9:
Let the Little Children Come to Me

10:
The Still, Small Voice

11:
Possessed

12:
If Tomorrow Never Comes

13:
You’re on My Last Nerve

14:
On Crossing the Bar

15:
Who Is My Brother?