The Other Side of the Bed

What Patients Go Through and What Doctors Can Learn

The Other Side of the Bed is essential reading for caretakers seeking support and solace from someone who has truly been there. When Daniel Mishkin was a medical resident, he received the crash course in patient care he’d never hoped for. Overnight, his brother Barry, a brilliant and beloved chief resident with a newborn son, found himself fighting for his life against an aggressive form of leukemia. Rushing from teaching rounds to his brother’s bedside, Daniel assumed the unfathomable task of advocating for Barry’s care, a responsibility he shouldered from the moment his brother was diagnosed until he passed away more than three years later.

The Other Side of the Bed chronicles Daniel’s experience at his brother Barry’s bedside and the lessons he learned there. Through the long journey of chemotherapy, remission, a failed bone marrow transplant, and countless daily tests of morale, Daniel witnessed facets of medicine that can be difficult for doctors to comprehend. Daniel shares his brother’s story, recounting anecdotes from his medical career to illustrate crucial principles of patient care. From giving a difficult diagnosis to confronting institutional hierarchy to facing death with dignity, Daniel’s story offers insight into the human relationships at the heart of medicine.