R. Elliot Willis Md

Finding Grace on a Less Traveled Road: a Cancer Doctor Reflects on Living and Dying R. Elliot Willis Md

During the 1960s, R. Elliot Willis grew up poor and gifted in one of Chicago's toughest inner city neighborhoods. Along with his parents and his nine brothers and sisters, Willis struggled to find hope in the midst of despair, believing that someday he would emerge triumphant from his downtrodden past. Finding Grace on a Less Traveled Road is an inspirational and unforgettable story of one African American's determination and personal triumph against the odds. Willis vividly describes his passage from a traumatic childhood filled with dreams of becoming a doctor to his medical school education at St. Louis's Washington University School of Medicine and a thriving medical career. Facing overwhelming disadvantages, Willis, endowed with exceptional talent and openhearted compassion, more than overcame the misery of neglected human potential. He was a significant contributor in AIDS research during the onset of the epidemic and then went on to have a successful career treating cancer. But at the heart of his work is Willis's profound need to alleviate the suffering of other human beings and to understand the true meaning of living and dying. Poignant and inspiring, this powerful memoir showcases Willis's triumphant victory over poverty and misfortune and reveals how he has served his fellow mankind with remarkable grace and humility.