An Unexpected Healer is about two Latin families: Carlos Taino’s poor Dominican-American family from New York City, and his wife’s wealthy Mexican-American family from Los Angeles. The novel begins as Carlos gets fired, learns his wife is pregnant, and is forced to leave New York for his first nursing job in Los Angeles. Carlos is thrust into a world of high stress, life-and-death consequences, irritated doctors, and tired staff.

An unexpected act of heroism propels him into the hospital’s elite Trauma Intensive Care Unit. He is on duty the night his wife and her family are in a massive car crash and her traumatic brain injury changes their lives forever. The novel deepens to explore end-of-life issues and the horrors of watching someone you love dangle between life and death. Carlos is tested even further when his wife undergoes the pain of rehabilitation and he struggles to care for their new baby. Saving what’s left of his family teaches Carlos the true meaning of mercy, love, and destiny.

An Unexpected Healer is a medical drama and love story. Its message is that overcoming disappointments and facing challenges is sometimes necessary to make us who we need to be.