Ordering Information
$24.95, 6×9, softcover, 160 pages, b&w photographs
Publication date: December 2, 2024
ISBN 978-1-942155-78-2/printed
ISBN 978-1-942155-83-6/eBook – $14.95
To order copies visit Casemate IPM
Katie Girl
Deadly Germs, Modern Medicine, and a Family’s Fight
By John S. Bentley
This is the true story of a four-year-old girl with a life-threatening illness, the desperate fight of her doctors to keep her alive, and her family’s navigation of life-changing events. It offers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of a large hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit, and the ability of a family to overcome unexpected changes.
Advanced Readers’ Comments:
“A powerful book describing the unthinkable tragedy of losing a previously healthy 4-year-old daughter to a rare and aggressive infection despite every intervention modern medicine has to offer.An absolute must-read for all healthcare providers and parents alike.”
—Stefanie Gauguet, MD, PhD, Pediatric Intensive Care Physician
“(A) valuable addition to curricula in medical training, providing crucial insights for healthcare providers engaged in the care of critically ill patients… Bentley’s down-to-earth, common-sense approach narrative style peels back the layers of medical procedures and technology.”
—Geoff Fitzgerald, MD, FACEP
“A must-read for all aspiring and practicing health care professionals as well as for families that have unexpectedly lost loved ones, especially a child.”
–Mark L. DeBard, MD, FACEP, Professor Emeritus of Clinical Emergency Medicine
“A tribute to all those who work in the healthcare field… It is also a testimony to the unpredictable moments of grace that follow in tragedy’s wake.”
—Darryl Caterine, PhD, Professor of Religious Studies, Le Moyne College.
“Katie Girl is a powerful story of one family’s experience, simply and honestly told. While Katie Bentley’s illness was rare enough to draw national attention, the story is universal.”
—Ernest Freeberg, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Humanities, University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
“Enriching beyond measure.”
—D. Stephen Cloniger, M.Div., PhD, Huntersville, NC
“An important story on a hundred fronts. Important as a record, as a tribute, as a history, as a monument.”
—Roger Heath, Educator and former NH state Senator
About the Author
John Bentley, a New Hampshire native, grew up in a small town surrounded by nature, stone walls, extended family, and good neighbors. Over the years, he has worked as an automobile mechanic, sawmill laborer, farmhand, excavation contractor, carpenter, machinist, purchasing agent, and college administrator. John holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southern New Hampshire University. In his spare time, he operates a small nonprofit charity that provides winter clothing to underprivileged children and serves as treasurer of the International Lilac Society. John lives with his wife and two daughters on a small farm near a brook, down a long dirt road, deep in the woods.
