“Awdish's writing crackles with wisdom: wisdom about the human body's tremendous yet mysterious capacity to heal itself, about the mind's ability to illuminate paths through the darkness of illness, about the spirit's constant striving for connection with those we love. Part garden of ideas, part memoir, part work of art, this jewel of a book speaks to us all, since we are all patients and we are all healers.”
—Avraham Z. Cooper, MD, Associate Clinical Professor at The Ohio State University, Co-host of The Curious Clinicians Podcast, Co-author of Why Doesn't Your Stomach Digest Itself?: Tales of the Human Body's Remarkable Resilience

“Many believe medicine is in existential crisis, which makes this is an urgent and timely book. Dr. Awdish’s writing is powered by art and human story, erupting off the pages in visual splendor. This is itself shocking considering the serious nature of her subject matter: life, death, and back to life. Through this penetrating analysis of her own disease and recovery, Dr. Awdish offers us a master class in self-discovery. Her writing is an exacting scalpel used to debride layers of physical and spiritual injury. In so doing, she exposes what courage looks like. For anyone seeking healing, After Shock offers a path to uncouple pain and fear, explore the human condition, and achieve acceptance no matter your circumstance. For healers, she teaches that medicine and science will never be enough. After Shock belongs on a short list of others that will serve to reshape the teetering steely structure of medical hierarchy by reclaiming the power of humanism and redirecting our focus where it must be…on the patient.” —Wes Ely, MD, author of Every Deep-Drawn Breath