Surviving the Hospital: How One Wife’s 35-Year Journey Sparked a Guide to Empower Patients Everywhere

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – Gilbert, Arizona—Monday, September 22, 2025

Each year, thousands of patients enter hospitals unprepared for the complexities and risks of modern healthcare. With healthcare-acquired infections ranking among the leading causes of preventable hospital deaths and 7% of hospital admissions involving preventable adverse events, patients need more than hope—they need practical tools.

“Surviving the Hospital: Six Secrets Every Patient Should Know” by Val Barschaw arms patients and their families with essential strategies to transform from passive recipients into indispensable members of their healthcare teams.

Drawing on 35 years of hospital experience—including her husband’s decade-long wait for a heart transplant and 25+ years of post-transplant care—Barschaw shares hard-earned wisdom with deep empathy for others facing similar ordeals. Her personal journey, which included witnessing medication errors and unsanitary conditions even in top-rated facilities, fuels the practical guidance in this book.

The book’s September 9th release date holds special significance, falling during the 25th anniversary week of her husband Bill’s successful heart transplant on September 12th, making this both a celebration of survival and a mission to help others achieve better outcomes.

Packed with real-life case studies and actionable strategies, this book reveals six powerful “secrets” that can make the difference between confusion and confidence, vulnerability and empowerment. Readers will learn how to:

• Research effectively and become curious about their condition
• Create comprehensive medication lists that could prevent poisoning
• Maintain cleanliness standards to avoid invisible killers like infections
• Develop strategic plans with caregivers and advocates
• Use prayer and emotional support as healing tools
• Practice gratitude to enhance immune function and speed recovery

Recent Amazon Success: The book hit #1 New Release in Emergency Medicine within 48 hours of launch, along with multiple other top-10 rankings, proving the urgent need for this resource.

“When my husband was offered a blood thinner that could have caused him to bleed to death during surgery, and then later that same day was served food that negatively interacted with his medications, I realized that patients must become the last line of defense for their own safety,” said Barschaw.

Limited-Time Offer: “Surviving the Hospital” will be free and available for download on Amazon for 5 days, Tuesday, September 23 through September 27, 2025.

What Readers Are Saying:

Carolyn B.
5 Stars Great information to know before you’re hospitalized

I sure wish I had this information BEFORE my husband had emergency surgery! I would have had a better idea of what to bring when I visited. My husband often sanitizes motel rooms but I never would have thought of the hospital room! Such great information. Thank you, Val Barschaw, for sharing your amazing story and what you have learned. Easy to read. Read it now, before you go in!

Amazon Customer
5 Stars excellent read

I just read this book and as the author of My Heart Journey, Waiting on a Heart, This book is right on. I would recommend this book to anyone who has stayed or is about to stay in the hospital. It won’t disappoint.

For interviews, contact:  hello@hospitaltohealth.com

Website: www.Hospitaltohealth.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Val Barschaw is a patient advocate with 35 years of hospital experience – 10 years during her husband’s pre-transplant journey and 25 years post-transplant. Her expertise was hard-earned through her witnessing both miraculous saves and preventable tragedies. Her mission is to help patients avoid needless suffering through education and advocacy, believing that informed, engaged patients achieve better outcomes and help healthcare teams provide better care. Based in rural Cle Elum, Washington, she enjoys life on their small farm with her husband, Bill, and is an active member of their local church.