All That Moves Us - Jay Wellons
After spending a semester studying the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system in detail it was an absolute pleasure to read Dr Jay Wellons’ memoir, and understand nearly all of the technical terms and descriptions that he uses! Dr Jay Wellons is a pediatric neurosurgeon and All That Moves Us is his story of how he got there, and some of the stories that continue to stick with him. While there is a lot of medical language in the book, Wellons does a great job of explaining it in layman’s terms. That said, you may benefit from having a anatomical picture of the brain and spinal cord on hand to picture some of the operations.
Neurology and neurosurgery in general are fascinating to me, and I really enjoyed reading about the different experiences a neurosurgeon may have, how one has to become a little “cold” at times in order to protect oneself, and just how crazy difficult it actually is to understand the brain, and to make sure a patient is saved in time. Although Wellons mentions that he may sometimes appear detached, as you make your way through the book he comes across as super caring, and involved in his patient’s lives post-surgery.
Some of the stories could have been pulled from a medical drama (an accident that shows Wellons just how difficult the job of a paramedic is, and how every life-saving decision must be made in split seconds). Others are just terribly sad, especially the story of how Wellons could not save his father from the grips of ALS. And others are just amazing, a little girl saved at the last minute, who then goes on to live a happy and fulfilling life, for example.
All That Moves Us is a gripping, interesting, and very much heartwarming story of one man’s life studying the brain, and fixing it in any way he can. If I ever find myself in the need of a pediatric neurosurgeon for one of my kids (I hope not), then I hope to meet someone like Dr Wellons. He really is amazing.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book.