Some stories feel dramatic because they are written that way. Others feel dramatic because real life simply went there. Tattered Flesh, Resilient Spirit belongs in the second category.
Written by Craig H. Collison, M.D., this medical memoir is both harrowing and inspiring, offering readers an inside look at one of the most terrifying diagnoses a person can face: necrotizing fasciitis, widely known as “flesh-eating bacteria.” What makes this book especially gripping is the rare perspective it brings. Craig tells the story through the dual lens of being both a physician and a critically ill patient. That combination creates a narrative that is medically fascinating, emotionally heavy, and spiritually grounded.
From the very first pages, the memoir makes it clear that this is not a distant, clinical account. It is a lived experience, filled with fear, uncertainty, and moments that test the limits of endurance.
A Day-by-Day Fight for Survival
Tattered Flesh, Resilient Spirit unfolds with a sense of urgency because Craig’s condition moves fast. At the height of his medical training, he undergoes what should have been a routine procedure to remove a lipoma. Instead, complications escalate into a catastrophic infection. Soon, he is battling necrotizing fasciitis and myositis, conditions that destroy tissue rapidly and demand immediate medical intervention.
The book delivers a detailed day-by-day account of his fight for survival. Readers are brought into the operating room, the ICU, and the long stretches of waiting that come with organ failure and relentless complications. Emergency surgeries stack up. Medical decisions become urgent. The body is pushed to its breaking point.
Yet Craig does not present the experience as a cold timeline of procedures. He writes with emotional clarity, capturing the shock of suddenly becoming the patient instead of the doctor. There is something uniquely unsettling about reading a physician describe what it feels like to lose control of his own body. That tension gives the memoir a sharp edge.
The narrative also shines a light on the world of critical care medicine in a way that feels honest and respectful. Craig acknowledges the intensity of the healthcare environment, the pressure on medical staff, and the incredible skill required to keep someone alive when the odds are stacked against them.
The Power of Family, Community, and Love
While the medical events are intense, the emotional heart of the memoir comes through the voices surrounding Craig. One of the book’s most moving elements is the inclusion of bedside journal entries written by his wife, family, and friends. These entries add raw humanity to the story.
They show what it is like to stand beside a hospital bed and watch someone you love suffer. They reveal the exhaustion, the prayers whispered in quiet hallways, and the fear that never fully disappears. The words carry a sense of intimacy that readers can feel in their chest.
Michelle’s presence throughout the memoir is especially powerful. Through these journal reflections, she becomes more than a supporting character. She becomes part of the emotional backbone of the book. The reader sees the strength it takes to keep going when every day feels uncertain.
Beyond family, Craig highlights the role of community. Friends and loved ones rally around them, offering support in both practical and spiritual ways. Their unity becomes a kind of lifeline. It is a reminder that survival is rarely an individual act. It is often a collective effort.
Faith as a Lifeline Through the Darkest Moments
One of the defining features of Tattered Flesh, Resilient Spirit is the spiritual dimension woven throughout the narrative. Biblical reflections appear alongside the medical journey, offering insight into how Craig and his family processed suffering. Faith is not presented as a background detail. It becomes an active source of strength, comfort, and endurance.
Craig does not write from a place of easy optimism. His story includes despair and doubt. Still, the memoir shows how faith helped anchor him through overwhelming uncertainty. The spiritual reflections feel personal, grounded, and sincere.
Another meaningful addition is the appendix, which is written with patients and families in mind. It makes the book more than a memoir. It turns it into a resource for those navigating critical illness, prolonged hospitalization, or traumatic recovery. That practical element gives the story an even wider purpose.
About Craig H. Collison, M.D.
Craig grew up in central Pennsylvania and graduated from State College High School. He earned an engineering degree from Penn State University before attending medical school at Wake Forest University. He later completed Pediatrics training at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, part of Case Western Reserve University.
After months in the hospital and a long road of rehabilitation, Craig returned home to central Pennsylvania and began working as a general Pediatrician with Centre Medical and Surgical Associates and Mount Nittany Medical Center, now part of the Mount Nittany Health System. He later moved his practice to Mount Nittany Physician Group – Penns Valley to serve families closer to home.
Craig lives with his wife Michelle, their children Taylor, Chase, Caroline, and Lydia, and their dogs Penny and Josie in “The Simon Pickel House,” an 1833 stone home in Madisonburg. Outside medicine, he enjoys sports, playing guitar, and being an involved father and husband.
Tattered Flesh, Resilient Spirit is available on Amazon, and readers can learn more through his official website at drcraigcollisonbooks.com.
We had the privilege of interviewing the author. Here are excerpts from the interview:
Hi, thank you so much for joining us today! Please share about yourself with our readers.
My name is Craig Collison, MD, and I am a physician, board-certified in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. I worked for a multi-specialty physician group doing inpatient and outpatient Pediatrics for 21 years, and for the last 5 years, I have worked as a Medical Director for Optum, as well as some other medical directorships. I live in Pennsylvania and South Carolina with my wife, Michelle. We have four children who are all grown and out of the house now. We had one son get married last year, and this year we have a son and a daughter both getting married, so this is a special time for our family.
Please tell us about your journey.
While I was finishing my pediatrics residency in the year 2000, I had a minor surgery that was infected with flesh-eating bacteria. With less than a 10% chance of survival, I was able to recover, but not without tremendous physical and emotional scars for me as well as my young family. Two and a half months in the hospital and 10+ surgeries were filled with pain and suffering, but our family, friends, incredible doctors and nurses, and our faith were able to bring us through. Though delayed, I was able to finish my training program and start my career, while learning so much as the doctor-turned-patient.
Please share about your book.
Tattered Flesh, Resilient Spirit is our personal story, as I survived and endured this infection with flesh-eating bacteria. It combines my insight as the patient and physician, as well as the raw emotions told through journal entries by my wife, Michelle, and others from during the ordeal. On top of everything else, Michelle was 6 months pregnant at the time with a two and four year old at home, and we had already sold our house, so in the midst of everything going on with me in the hospital, she and our family and friends had to find a new place to stay even after most of our belongings were moved to another state. Along with the drama of this horrific time, I explore our faith, from both of our perspectives, and how it was tested to the limits. This story is not sugar-coated, but an intense and real perspective on critical illness and how it affects the patient as well as the family and friends that go through it with them. I am honest about the questioning and testing of my faith, as my body was stressed to the breaking point, and how I came to grips with the scars and changes that I would have to live with for the rest of my life.
What strategies helped you become successful in your journey?
Michelle and I have both said that we don’t know how we could have survived this time without faith, as well as our amazing family and friends. Having that hope in a Savior was so important for us when it appeared that all other hope was gone.
Any message for our readers?
This story was meant to be shared, and we look forward to sharing it with all the readers. Putting the book together was truly the best therapy for me as I worked my way back through the illness, through the questioning and disappointments, to the acceptance and thankfulness for surviving something that no one would want to go through. This story is for all those going through a medical illness of their own or in a family member. This story is for all healthcare workers and demonstrates the incredible challenges that enduring an illness or staying in the intensive care unit brings to people, hopefully increasing their empathy towards their patients. This story is for those who have faith and for those who question it. Thank you to all those interested in sharing the ups and downs of this challenging time and our ultimate triumph over this terrible illness.
Thank you so much, Craig, for giving us your precious time! We wish you all the best for your journey ahead!
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