Vital Signs: Philippine Short Stories on Healing

These thirteen stories take us from the bustle of hospitals and clinics to the intimacy of patients' homes, whether in remote provinces or squalid urban areas, to reveal the impact of health concerns on Filipinos from all walks of life. Physicians and nurses deal with the anxieties that come with their profession, while patients and their loved ones face fear and suffer pain that goes beyond the physical. The drama that always accompanies such situations may be manifested flamboyantly or quietly, but never without poignance. Amidst these struggles, love and devotion, hope and determination— the most vital things— shine through.