EVMS Pulse
  |    14.2 

Alum pens book to inspire daughter

By

photo of Ethan and baby in front of brick wall.

Medical students are trained to handle difficult  situations for their patients, and that training played

an important role two years ago when Ethan McGann’s daughter, Charlie, was born

Dr. McGann was then in his fourth year of medical school at EVMS. The prenatal appointments had gone as expected and without complications, so Dr. McGann and his wife were shocked when Charlie was born with a rare birth defect that left her with only one hand.

Amniotic Band Syndrome occurs when the fibrous bands of the amniotic sac get tangled around a developing fetus. The constriction can cause a variety of problems, depending on where the bands are located and wrapped. In Charlie’s case, the placement of the band on her left wrist likely halted the development of that limb.

“During medical school you see a broad range of medical maladies. You see the bad stuff and the sad stuff,” Dr. McGann says. “At the end of the day, my daughter is just missing a hand. While some things may be harder for her, she is already doing things that I never would have expected like climbing on furniture and riding her little bike.”

To process what was happening, Dr. McGann began journaling. A recurring theme in his writing: He wanted to help Charlie feel confident about who she is and what she can accomplish in life — and he wanted to help other children and families in similar situations.

Eventually, those journal entries formed the basis of Dr. McGann’s children’s book, “The Band That Stole My Hand.”

The book chronicles the adventures of a fictionalized Charlie as she skateboards, surfs and explores new activities. Dr. McGann wrote and edited the book after learning he had matched in Otolaryngology at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. The book was published in July 2021 and is now available in bookstores.

“My overarching hope is that through this book, Charlie has a way to tell her story and express who she is,” Dr. McGann says. “I wanted to demystify limb differences and empower those who have had their own medical challenges to tell their stories.”

Learn more about "The Band That Stole My Hand" and get your own copy. 

Read more magazine stories from issue 14.2 or read stories from past issues.