"Sam Lightner was born with a rare disfiguring growth that distorts the left side of his face and skull. For years, doctors refuse to operate on him, until an elite team of surgeons undertakes a risky thirteen-hour operation to remove the malformation. Sam nearly dies on the operating table, but he pulls through and returns home to begin his freshman year of high school.".

"Soon after, however, doctors discover excess fluid around his brain. Sam slips into a coma, and he is not expected to live. As the family and doctors begin to give up, one doctor, pediatric neurosurgeon Monica Wehby continues believing, even as all hope seems lost. One of the few women in the boys' club of neurosurgery, Dr. Wehby is scorned for allegedly refusing to accept facts and allowing her emotions to cloud her medical judgment.

But she perseveres, staying by Sam's side, until he moves first a finger, then a foot, and finally starts to rebuild his life."--BOOK JACKET.