The Beauty in Breaking

Harper details her lifestyle while working as a “nocturnist,” or night shift doctor. Despite her natural preference for working days, she expresses some of the positive sides of working nights. Now at Andrew Johnson Hospital in Philadelphia, Harper immediately jumped into leadership roles, which began with being the director of performance improvement in the emergency department. Harper recalls a tragic experience during one of those night shifts concerning a newborn boy only twelve days old.

Paramedics brought in Baby Doe after he was found not breathing. Harper did everything in her power to revive his tiny body. However, she knew as soon as she saw him that his life had already gone, and her resuscitation efforts acted as a prayer for the miraculous to transpire before their eyes. Her next step was to deliver the horrible news to the boy’s family, now identified as the Tallys. When Harper delivered the news, the baby’s mother fell to the floor, overcome with grief. Later, reflecting on the experience at home, Harper wept. This event, like so many others that involved the premature loss of life, was shrouded in mystery, in unanswerable questions.