In The Long Dying of Baby Andrew(Atlantic, Little-Brown, 1979), Robert and Peggy Stinson discuss these questions and many others. Through a series of journal entries, they tell the story of their son, Andrew Stinson. On December 17, 1976, Andrew was born at 24 weeks gestation, weighing 1 lb. 12 oz. Although he thrived in the beginning, he began to deteriorate soon after his birth, and was transferred to a larger hospital. There, doctors placed the infant on a ventilator, and kept him alive for 6 months against his parents' wishes. Bob and Peggy battled with their son's doctors, pleading to be able to make the decision to let the suffering child die with dignity. Finally, in June of 1977, Andrew's doctors allowed him to pass away. Throughout the book, Bob and Peggy ask the questions listed above. They concluded that "parents and potential parents of the babies whose care the specialists are debating-has little exposure to the issues and no voice at all in the debate" (xiii). The couple shared their story because they hope "the story of Andrew's plight will help make more people aware of the unresolved controversies, the tragic failures, the perils that go along with the 'miracles' in neonatal intensive care" (xiv). The story does, indeed, cast a new light on medical heroics in neonatal units everywhere.
The use of journal entries makes The Long Dying of Baby Andrew an intensely personal and honest account. In their writing, Bob and Peggy expose their own weaknesses, biases and doubts about every aspect of their experience. They come across as human, if a bit eccentric. Although I could not identify with all of their feelings and beliefs, I found myself empathizing with Peggy as she attempts to do what is best for her child. When I read the following passage, I cried, because I remember feeling the same thing:
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