This dormant blog is now active again. So much has happened since last I wrote. After publishing my fiction novel Schizo I worked on a number of fiction projects. And I wrote a screenplay called "Girl Code" about women in IT and through humor, three women come together and use their tech skills to turn the tables on the male-driven industry in a dark but hysterical fashion. I had a producer meeting where I pitched Schizo and this, but nothing came of it.
Then I was pitched by my non-fiction book publisher to do the second edition of my book, "How to Survive a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit." But in 2018, I was not ready to work on it. But in early 2020, I was invited to speak at a wellness conference at Loyola on the topic of Medical Malpractice with my brilliant friend and colleague Gita Pensa MD. I realized that there was so much material I was using in my lecture and in Gita's and others, that just were not in my first edition. It was critically important info, and I felt that it was time to do the second edition.
I contacted my publisher and was given instructions on creating a proposal for the updated book. I finished 85% of that proposal when I suffered a catastrophic illness, that led to emergency surgery which did not go well. I required further surgeries, and continued to decline. I suffered cardioembolic strokes and thankfully recovered from that. I was bedridden for nearly six months. And I did not work for nearly one year.
I started writing about my medical travails, and have several chapters of a future book on my experience as a Doctor-Patient. And I contacted my publisher again about the second edition. I finished the proposal and it was accepted! We are hashing out the contract, and had a very productive meeting while visiting London (my publisher is based in England). Once that is signed, I will finish the book and the expected publication is 2025/2026.
In the meantime, another friend and colleague who works in the medical malpractice space, Dr Louise Andrew, forwarded to me a new digital magazine looking for submissions on the topic of Doctor-Patient privilege. Something I was well-versed in given my writings on my recent illness.
So here it is! My article was published, and the artwork I submitted (see top of blog) was a sketch by my husband Seth Benator, that they liked so much it was given its own spot in their multimedia section.
Here is the link: https://www.didactics.us/narrative/walking-the-tightrope It explains what I've been through better than a quick blog post.
Thanks for checking it out!
-Dr Brenner
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