Two Patients Tells a Compelling Story of Faith

Maria V. Gallagher finds uncommon faith in the riveting new book, Two Patients.

The event is seared into my memory: an affable doctor addresses a crowd of faithful Catholics, telling the story of his mission of mercy through medicine. At the time, I was struck by the physician’s faith and unstoppable trust in God.

It is now years later, and that charismatic doctor has written a fascinating new book, Two Patients: My Conversion from Abortion to Life-Affirming Medicine.

Even though I had heard Dr. John Bruchalski speak at that long-ago dinner, I did not know the full story behind his incredible change of heart and leap of faith until I read Two Patients. I read many books—I suppose it is the occupational hazard of being a writer. Yet I seldom find one as compelling as this work by the good doctor.

In the grand tradition of St. Augustine and his Confessions, Dr. Bruchalski has created a work that beautifully explains a transformation of heart and soul. The author also provides helpful insight into the world of abortion and abortionists. The physician is the prototypical Prodigal Son, leaving the death culture behind to build a medical practice based on life-preserving principles.

The journey is not for the faint of heart. Dr. Bruchalski describes abortion in all its painful detail. This is absolutely necessary for the reader to comprehend the inherently violent nature of the act, which is too often blithely dismissed as “a woman’s choice.” I felt as if I was actually in the room with the physician as he ended innocent, unrepeatable lives.

Yet, his book also shows the heartwarming, all-encompassing depth of God’s forgiveness and mercy. Our God is a God of second chances, and Dr. Bruchalski is a living testament to that fact.

I walked away from reading this book inspired—and more dedicated than ever to defending the most vulnerable among us. As the book makes quite clear, the pro-life position is one that is pro-love and pro-mercy—not only for the child in the womb, but for the pregnant mother as well.

If you’re going to read one uplifting book this year, please consider delving into Two Patients. It is a true story of hope, healing, and redemption that will make you marvel at the miracle of God’s loving touch.

Ask for Two Patients from your local Catholic bookseller, or order from Amazon.com or the publisher, Ignatius Press.

20221206 MGallagher IG