For the Love of Ethan by Marjorie Reynolds

This is the story of a family in turmoil when the 10-year-old son is diagnosed with liver disease. The reader is sucked into the hospital visits, the check-ups, the difficult decisions, and the marriage of the parents. I’m not typically interested in hospital stories but there was no escaping this one! It was a fast read, as I hoped that all would be right for Ethan, but could not imagine how that would come about.

The story describes how far parents can go to protect and save their children. Would you break the law, if necessary? Would you disadvantage others (and possibly sentence them to death with your actions) just so your son could live? These are serious issues that are discussed in a very readable way, both making you go with what the parents feel they should do, and at the same time, making you stop to think whether this is ethical – and what would you do yourself?

I do hope this really is a work of fiction, but the writing is so detailed and knowledgeable, that I could imagine this really happened to the author. Let’s hope not!

Publisher’s description: “Delainie Franklin is a devoted mother whose ordinary life runs smoothly — until Ethan, her ten-year-old son, becomes ill. Delainie and her husband, Joel, must not only face the challenges of Ethan’s uncertain future but also survive events that test their family bonds. How far will a mother go to save her son? Delainie must make that agonizing decision.”