Written for the public by a critical care nurse, this book intends to educate and empower people to make critical care decisions that they can live with. Making decisions based upon Love, not Fear, will provide peace of mind.

This book discusses the things people need to know in case they or someone they love ever becomes critically ill. It describes types of resuscitation; levels of code status; how to decide what kind of life supports you would want begun, and, more importantly, when to stop; how to effectively communicate your desires to your loved ones and to create documents that work; how to effectively communicate with your health care provider and how to track your loved one's healing progress; and, if it happens, how to deal with end of life decisions. This book also discusses how to cope with a loved one being in the hospital; how to help heal yourself and your loved one. Plus, in very easy to understand words, it also discusses a variety of equiment commonly used in the critical care unit and some common disease processes.

Understanding the environment and process in the critical care until will help to decrease fear of the unknown and help people have knowledgeable discussions with their health care providers.

Linda Ingalls has been a registered nurse since 1975. Her background is in critical care, mental health, and a variety of healing modalities. As she states in her book, "One of the hardest things in my job is taking care of the patient or family who comes to the Critical Care Unit totally unprepared to make the major health care decisions that will be forced upon them. I want to empower them to make decisions based on love, not fear."