The Clinic - Paperback

Despite all her success as a young Toronto-based lawyer, 28-year-old Lucy Chambers feels like her life is out of control. Especially her weight, which increases to unhealthy levels as she battles the stresses of work, failed relationships, and her ongoing struggles with self-esteem. When all the starvation diets, gimmicks, and gym memberships fail to move the needle in her attaining a healthy weight, Lucy embarks on life-altering bariatric surgery. That's when her life becomes entwined with unscrupulous surgeons, Mexican drug cartels, and more. Her longtime friend, Suzie, and her partner, Dr. John Hegland, chief of staff at a Toronto hospital, help Lucy navigate the shocking scenarios that later unfold. At the same time, Dr. Hegland tackles daily challenges in dealing with Canadian doctors' egos in a changing profession where money is short, racism is rampant. The system is broken and Dr. Hegland's loyalties to it start to waver.

The Clinic tackles the bureaucracy and sometimes ugly underbelly of the medical profession, both in Canada and abroad, that prevent people from getting the healthcare-emergency or elective-they need. Written by Dr. John Hagen, who has travelled globally on medical missions and also delivers seminars on the book's subject-bariatric surgery-the novel touches on many controversial and uncomfortable topics. Like in his previous medical thrillers, Dr. Hagen's expansive surgical expertise and lived experiences take the reader deep into the complicated lives of his characters as they battle their own demons and ethical dilemmas while just trying to live their lives to the fullest.