Book recounts role played by faith in recovery of 6-year-old amputee

Published: 2005-10-24

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (CNS) -- "There are times when medicine can only go so far." That's one of the lessons Father Joseph A. Escobar, pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Providence, passes on from the recently published "Up and Running," a book that recounts the case of Andrew Bateson, a Providence boy who suffered from a rare disease that led to the amputation of both his legs at age 6 in 1997. Subtitled "The Inspiring True Story of a Boy's Struggle to Survive and Triumph," the 320-page book was published by Center Street, a division of Time Warner Book Group. Written by Mark Patinkin, a columnist for The Providence Journal, the book talks about the crucial role faith played in Andrew's recovery and the response of other family members to his illness. Now 14, Andrew is a star player in a local hockey league, playing on two artificial legs. The Bateson family, Father Escobar and Patinkin, who is Jewish, talked about the case and the book in separate interviews with The Providence Visitor, newspaper of the Providence Diocese.

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