Tree Barking: A Memoir

ISBN: 1597140813

Author: Nesta Rovina

Condition: New

Tales of a health-care worker the triumph of compassion and dignity over poverty and bureaucracy As a home health therapist, Nesta Rovina has seen and heard it all: a stroke victim who learned to roll off her bed at night to avoid getting caught in the crossfire of rival gangs and drug dealers; a man who lived off grass and bugs for a week while fleeing his native Laos; a sixteen-year-old gunshot victim who was left for dead by a man targeting prostitutes; a heroin addict who after having her left hand amputated when it is infected from frequent injections begins popping on her right hand. Yet, on the good days, when Rovina s patients share their stories over home-cooked dinners, the result can be an alchemical transformation of mind, heart, and spirit. In these moments, sickness, poverty, and the chaos of the streets outside are forgotten. The bureaucracy of the health-care system is forgotten. The world-weariness and jadedness of the therapist is forgotten. These days of warmth and camaraderie keep Rovina going and give her hope for humanity. Then, Rovina s own story begins to emerge: from her upbringing in South Africa, through family tragedy in Israel, to her decision to become a health-care worker. We sympathize as she confronts America s bruised and battered health-care system; we cheer her on as she joins a union fight against county layoffs, and with her we find compassion and understanding for all her housebound clients who no matter their circumstances carry on with faith, humor, and kindness.