One-Pound Blessing by Debra Rowell Kluck

About the book

A stretcher raced toward the double steel doors at the end of the hospital corridor. Past the double doors, the most horrific experience in my life occurred. The pregnancy tests, which correctly identified my pregnancy, could never have predicted the premature birth of my daughter. Two weeks earlier, I had tried to win my obstetrician's confidence that something was indeed wrong with my pregnancy. "Pregnant in the summertime," she said.

Three cries rang out as a parade of Whitecoats carried the small scrap of humanity out of eyes reach and into the NICU. As my eyes looked upon this small creature of imperfections named Baby Kluck, I tried to feel some connection. This was not the baby I imagined myself delivering.

"Knowledge is power" would become my mantra over the next six months as I became Jessica's advocate while in the NICU. Suspicious that she was becoming a victim of HMO politics, I realized that I must become both guardian angel and watchdog if she was to have any chance of surviving. This empowered attitude would give me the courage to ask for a second opinion when the Whitecoats said "hopeless" and "discontinue life support." I, as a veterinarian, could never see myself giving up on a patient as these HMO-appointed Whitecoats tried to do.

Jessica may not be the baby I intended to have, but she is the child I wanted to keep. One-Pound Blessing is the inspirational story of a challenged child who is victorious, a child "pure of heart."

About the author

Dr. Debra Rowell Kluck graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University in 1986. She was selected by her professors to receive the Gerry L. Grant Humane Award and the Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association Graduate Award for Excellence in Companion Animal Medicine in her senior year. In 1993 she opened Cat Care Hospital in Marietta, Georgia, where she exclusively practices feline medicine and surgery. Debra is currently working on a new book consisting of the stories and experiences she has had during her seventeen years of practicing veterinary medicine.

Debra enjoys public speaking and is very involved in children's special needs groups, including the Special Olympics and craniofacial organizations. As an adoptive parent, she enjoys being an activist for other parents pursuing adoption. Her hobbies include running, biking, swimming, backpacking, gardening, writing, and spending time with her children. Debra strives to include her children in her hobbies and free-time activities. She is married to Gerald Kluck, Jr. They have two children, Jessica and Christopher. They live in Marietta, Georgia with their beloved pets.