Josie's Story: A Mother's Inspiring Crusade to Make Medical Care Safe

In 2001, the six-member King family had just relocated to a new home in Baltimore when tragedy struck: 17-month-old Josie, wandering unsupervised, turned on a hot water tap and was badly scalded. Rushed to Johns Hopkins hospital, Josie spent 17 days in recovery and was scheduled to be released, but sudden cardiac arrest killed her before she made it out. The hospital admitted their mistake: improper hydration and a mistakenly administered dose of prescription painkiller methadone. Even more shocking, the Kings learned that theirs was not a unique tragedy; in the U.S., somewhere between 44,000 and 98,000 people die every year from medical errors. Using their $1.5 million settlement, the Kings founded an advocacy group, the Josie King Foundation, which, in partnership Johns Hopkins, spearheads a national drive for patient safety programs. This painful but inspiring memoir is a compelling drama of family grief amid the dysfunctional U.S. health care system, buttressed by a 20-page resource guide for patients, families and health-care providers.