Through my own experiences as both physician-scientist and patient, the book develops a fundamental concept: illness and the suffering that it causes can be an opportunity for spiritual growth and wisdom. Therefore, patients should not simply be pitied or regarded as "broken" and in need of fixing. Instead, the opportunity in patients of posttraumatic growth should be recognized and promoted. I call this "Kintsugi medicine", after the ancient Japanese art of mending broken ceramic pottery with golden lacquer to create a piece that is beautiful despite being imperfect. The book emerged organically through my work as a physician in the Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system for the last 20 years. It explains why I believe the VA healthcare system is the best-performing most innovative, comprehensive healthcare system in the world and the crown-jewel of the US federal government. It describes interactions with my VA patients who educated me through their personal examples of coping with severe illness and adversity with grace, courage and dignity. My admiration for America's heroes is unconditional and the debt of gratitude I owe them unpayable. This book represents my own personal views and does not necessarily represent the views of the University of Washington or the Department of Veterans Affairs.
