It was a virtual death sentence.

The resident at the hospital had just said, "We are recommending Bill be sent to a nursing home. He has some cognitive issues and is unlikely to benefit from rehabilitation."

Complications had set in ten days after successful brain surgery. Fewer than four weeks later, still unable to clearly define the cause, the medical team had reached its decision. They were giving up on him.

My husband was fifty-six years old. It was my unshakeable belief that their decision was both wrong and premature. We had everything at stake. Suddenly I was fighting for his life. Our life.

How the hell did we get to this?

The Fight of Our Life is Catherine Hawley's dramatic, no-holds-barred account of her battles with the health care system to attain rehabilitation and a higher quality of life for her husband -- at home -- allowing them more years of their special life together. It is a soaring love story and a sobering patient beware story -- a dramatic, engaging read with clear warnings of how readers should prepare for medical struggles ahead.