Surviving Jane by Rodolfo Del Toro
From the author of “Chasing Rabbits.”
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Dr. David is looking for a career change. He’s burnt out and is planning a year-long sabbatical to travel and reset before beginning his ophthalmology residency. Counting down the days to his much-needed break, David must contend with all the complications of working at a busy hospital: unruly patients, frustrating senior staff, and growing fatigue.
During these last weeks, David is given a tough patient: young Jane Doe, a heroin addict, is brought in with severe injuries. Jane does not want to be in the hospital. Belligerent, aggressive, and demanding, Jane tests the boundaries of all the medical staff who attend her.
As David grows increasingly disgruntled, a surprising source reminds him why he entered the medical field in the first place: to help people.
An emotional journey featuring addiction, recovery, and hope, Surviving Jane is a richly detailed medical drama that provides an intimate look into life in a busy hospital.
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Author Bio:
To the surprise of many, and contrary to the very real expectations of his high school teachers and counselors, Rodolfo Del Toro, is in fact a Medical Doctor. Oddly enough Rodo never intended to be a doctor, in fact during his early teenage years, he dreamt of becoming a musician, screenwriter, or maybe a film director.
Nevertheless, late in high school, while performing community service, a school requirement, he was exposed to the medical field. Assigned to help a resident doctor perform his tasks at a local hospital, Rodo unexpectedly felt great satisfaction from helping others.
Making an uncharacteristically mature decision for a teenager, Rodo accepted the challenge, moving ahead after high school and spending the next twelve years between college, medical school, and residency.
Despite having a great professional life and a fantastic family, he felt an urge to do something different, to create. So, in 2015, after a particularly interesting 2014, he decided to sit down to write.
Unbeknownst to him, it would take four years to write and publish his first work, Departure Point, a niche piece. It’s a story he is quite proud of, despite the fact that he concedes that it is plagued with far too many mistakes.
Nevertheless, writing and publishing was a rewarding learning experience involving hard lessons learned. Which helped him realize how little he knew and still had to learn about writing and publishing. This knowledge, or rather lack thereof, helped him approach the writing of his second book, Chasing Rabbits. Not only did it give him newfound determination, it also allowed him to better navigate the road, or at least avoid the previous pitfalls.
Chasing Rabbits was published in March 2020, and despite the challenges 2020 brought forth, it has received great reviews. Today, Rodo continues to write and get the word out on his works, when time permits it. Publishing a set of short stories unimaginatively titled Six Short Stories on late 2021. His fourth book, Surviving Jane, whose progress was somewhat plagued by recurrent bouts of procrastination, and hesitation, was finally published recently.
When away from the word processor, he spends his professional time between his private practice and a part-time medical school teaching appointment. He cherishes the time he gets to spend with his wife and daughters, as well as the dog he emphatically asked them not to get! Funny enough the dog is sleeping on his lap as he writes this. Every so often, he steals time to pursue his writing, and what his wife believes are very unhealthy obsessions with electric guitars and old Land Rover Defenders!