Nothing With Tomato Sauce: Reflections on Adversity & The Powerful Lessons it Teaches takes the reader into the life of a woman who underwent an unbelievable procedure and recovery period in order to save her eyesight, and who came out on the other side a changed woman. Her inspiring story leads to 10 practical lessons that anyone can use to lead a happier, less stressful life. Around Christmas of 2009, Michele Szkolnicki noticed a fuzziness in her one good eye. That fuzziness turned out to be a Macular Hole, requiring a specific surgery, called a vitrectomy, which would involve an extremely difficult recovery period. Success of the surgery depended as much on the skills of the surgeon as it did on the Michele's compliance with keeping her head constantly looking down, while at the same time having no vision for the entire 4-week recovery period. As she learned to get through that month, she was constantly tested with the adversity of the situation. This is not a book about how to survive a vitrectomy or its challenging recovery requirements. Instead, it is a reflection on what this experience taught Michele about life, and how you can learn from her hardship as well.
About the Author: Michele Szkolnicki is an accomplished Healthcare Executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience that spans for-profit, not-for-profit, and academic settings in hospital, ambulatory and medical practice environments. Michele's leadership style is differentiated by her exceptional talent management and mentorship and by her ability to inspire and motivate executives, teams and individuals around a shared vision. Michele is currently the Chief Operating Officer of the Hahnemann University Hospital physician practice plan. Prior to joining Hahnemann, she worked as a healthcare consultant, and held several healthcare leadership roles, including: Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services for Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Philadelphia cancer center in Philadelphia, Chief Operating Officer for Drexel University Physicians, and several Director roles with the University of Pennsylvania Health System in the departments of Ophthalmology and Medicine. She launched her career with roles in clinical research and direct patient care. Her education includes a Bachelor in Nursing degree from Neumann College and a Master in Education degree from St. Joseph's University. Michele is a Board Member for Angel Flight East, where she also serves as its board development committee chair. She also serves on several advisory committees, including the Strayer University Pennsylvania Education Program Advisory Board and the Neumann University Alumni Executive Board where she is President-elect. Michele is board-certified as a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and was named one of the Philadelphia Business Journal's 2011 Healthcare Innovation Awards recipients, receiving the Nurse Administrator of the Year award. Michele was born, raised, and currently lives in southeastern Pennsylvania with her husband of 27 years, 2 daughters and a son. This is her first book.