A touching quick read! Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for a review!

An emotional journey through this woman's horrendous experience with American medicine. I'm not sure I could be so forgiving.

I was initially intrigued by the story given the description of a woman telling her health journey through a mysterious diagnosis and medical mistakes. It fell a bit flat for me. Overall, the tone was just not one that kept me hooked. Instead of inspiring sympathy I found myself a bit annoyed with her privileged outlook on life. I wish there was more self reflection and less boasting about her multiple houses, whilst simultaneously lamenting about not being able to decorate them how she wanted due to her illness. Her situation was terrible and unfair and ultimately not centered enough in her story.

This is an emotional ride - one that makes you consider how many mistakes you make in a day, month, year. And what those mistakes may cost you or someone else. When Lorena’s doctor (after so many second, third, and fourth opinions) finds an adrenal gland tumor she is under the impression that one surgery will help fix all of her symptoms. She is wrong. One surgeons mistake costs her much more than her tumor. Somehow, despite the negatives of this, Lorena and her family manage to highlight the healing and learning outcomes of such an experience.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! I found it hard to put down. I highly recommend reading it! You won’t be disappointed.

On the Way to Casa Lotus reminded me why I enjoy memoirs so much; I love learning about other people's stories. This was a difficult story-a botched surgery with life altering impacts for the author. It will stay with me for a long time. And while it was an emotional read I think it was uplifting too in that it reminds us about the power of peace and forgiveness in the wake of tragedy. Grateful to the author for sharing her story with us.

This was short memoir about a woman's experience with the aftereffects of an adrenal tumor and of a botched surgery. The frustrations Lorena felt were so real. I wanted to be able to help her, to help her express what was going on inside her, so the doctors could fix her. Lorena's experience shows us once again how our medical system is in need of a fix.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a free and unbiased review.

This book was an interesting read. I loved this memoir and did not want it to end.. my only complaint is it felt much too short. Definitely telling friends they need to read this!

A quick read describing the life-altering experience of a young woman having a botched surgery. This is a story of a woman, Lorena Junco Margain grew up in Monterrey, Mexico, but was privileged to travel and study abroad, who suffers a debilitating and personal loss of bodily functions and sense of self after a surgeon, whom she trusted, makes a vital mistake. Life is blessed for the Juncos as they leave Mexico and settle in Austin, Texas. It’s clear that Lenora, vitally and compassionately entrenched in family life and her immersive art projects, has much to be grateful for. She suffers through a haze of not knowing or understanding why she feels so much pain and craziness until she finally learns the truth and begins to heal slowly. All that changes, horrifically and suddenly, as Lenora battles mysterious health issues that escalate beyond a level any one of us should have to endure. Lenora’s journey to understanding - that is, the rational dawning of the reality of her physical situation, as it evolves (or, more accurately devolves) - is so hard to imagine as a reader; so appalling in it’s impact, and so terrifyingly close and possible to each of us, in our own lives. A thought-provoking story that speaks to so many of us, the author creates a great sense of pacing and imagery that brings their experiences to life wonderfully, and readers will be hard-pressed to put this book down themselves.
My thanks to the publisher, as well as to NetGalley and the author for the arc..

The author is the memoir of a wealthy Mexican wife and mother raising her family in the U.S. She is suffering from physical and mental ailments after the birth of her son that everyone writes off as post partum depression, though she is convinced otherwise. Finally, when she is attending a doctor visit for a friend, the doctor suggests that she also needs to have her renal activity checked. As a result, she is diagnosed with a tumor on one of her renal glands. She changes doctors to find a different surgeon, then rushes to have the surgery because she is so anxious for the symptoms to end and for a return to health. Her condition inexplicably worsens after the surgery, and still she gets no support or sympathy from her family and friends, who all seem to think that it is "all in her head".

The author has a poetic voice and writes with with compassion and wisdom that allow the reader to step into her shoes. Her journey to finding a solution for her medical issues is arduous but ultimately rewarding.

Margain's awful medical experience centered around a surgeon's mistake makes for a rich read about how to trust your body and your intuition. The "Casa Lotus" piece received short shrift and could have served as a wonderful extended metaphor for her journey, if the story had been fully told. Other than that, though, I recommend this book.

On the Way to Casa Lotus: A Memoir of Family, Art, Injury, and Forgiveness, tells the story of a beautiful, artistic, wealthy, young Mexican girl named Lorena Margain. She is married to a wonderful man and together with family and friends they share a perfect existence. Perfect that is until, Lorena, pregnant with her third child starts to feel sick.

Nothing is wrong, the doctors say, but Lorena knows differently. All blame seems to fall on the pregnancy, Lorena's busy life style, and the rigors of being a wife and mother. The family offers compassion, but there is little they can do other than to try and allay her fears. Lorena has her third child and looking for relief from the pain and suffering, she finds none to be had. She goes to see an endocrinologist and from there it is discovered that she has a growth on her adrenal gland. Although not cancerous, it must be removed and so Lorena schedules the surgery as soon as possible.

Of course, she and her family realize that the surgery will not make things better immediately, but as Lorena heals and goes home, the pain and suffering grow to major misery. She can't function and for a woman who once had a zeal for life, she blames herself for not being better. Doctors suggest perhaps it's psychosomatic and once again she wonders if indeed, she is the one creating this untenable life.

As she sinks deeper and deeper into pain, she becomes depressed knowing she is no wife to her beloved husband, Edwardo, or mother to her three young children. The family bands around her doing all they can to allay her situation. It is truly a loving family, one that supports each other no matter what.

Unbelievably, she eventually returns to her endocrinologist, and to both their shock and amazement, they find that the surgeon removed the incorrect gland and Lorena must endure surgery again on the other gland. The surgeon does her best and is able to save a part of the gland, but now Lorena must live differently from what she once was able to do.

Lorena and Edwardo, along with the family, are furious and want to sue the surgeon who made such a blunder, but as Lorena comes to fully understand both herself and life, she decides to not seek revenge against the surgeon.

In this horrible occurrence, Lorena learned that she must trust herself, know what her body feels and not rely on others' opinions to set a course for her. It's a cautionary tale, where so many of us who rush to find a cure to what ails us, perhaps, should listen more to our inner voice. We know ourselves better than anyone and we should always be our own health advocate, not afraid to question, and certainly always knowing when something is wrong.

This story of courage, strength, love, and the willingness to forgive and to move on, is a good lesson for us all. Perhaps if there was more forgiveness in our own life, we could go on as Lorena did, just happy to be alive with her husband, children, and family surrounding her.

Thank you to Lorena Margin, Independent Book Sellers, and NetGalley for this story.

This book was received as an ARC from Cuco Press - Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

If there is a book out there that has a story everyone can relate and connect with, it's this book. I could not help but tear up when reading some of the chapters of the book but, what blew me away was the emotional strength and positivity Lorena had while going through her hardships making it perfect to tell her story. This book should be on reading lists for school all over the country. It will teach everyone to count their blessings and never give up hope no matter the circumstance. Especially for this difficulty time, we need a book like this to remind us that we are capable for more than we know.

We will consider adding this title to our Self Help collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

This memoir will provoke deep thinking about family, community, and the artistic spirit as the author, Margain, born in Mexico, tells how family is everything in Mexican culture. When Monterrey becomes too dangerous, the extended family moves first to Mexico City and then to Austin Texas. After her son was bornin 2012, she found herself going to a doctor telling him that something was wrong with her, but it was diagnosed as depression. Dealing with the death of her grandmother and her sister’s cancer, she didn’t get better until finally, it was discovered a tumor on her adrenal gland. A botched surgery profoundly changed her life. Filled with inspiration from Buddhism, the Bible, and Hindu gurus she was able to find her purpose in life and how female anger can be a positive force in getting one through challenges.

The story of a woman who had her functioning adrenal gland removed in error when she was supposed to have the other removed. While I appreciated the sentiment of the story about forgiveness and what it takes to move forward, I believe the story could have been told in shorter form. I did not feel a strong connection to the people in the book and I feel that if it was necessary to expand the story into a book that more time should have been spent on helping the reader connect to the people being written about. There were too many words and while they stretched the story to create enough pages for a book I feel like the words chosen did not add depth nor were they important to the story. I often felt myself wishing that we could just cut to the chase which is a testament to the interesting story but I wish I could arrived to the end more quickly. Overall, I'm glad I read it and I enjoyed it.

On the Way to Casa Lotus was a wonderful memoir by Lorena Junco Margain. It was short but very powerful story. Lorena was diagnosed with a tumor on her RIGHT adrenal gland but unfortunately the Doctor took out her left adrenal gland. Her story not only shows the results of his mistake on her life but also her grace in handling his error. It is a horrific but yet beautiful story on humans and how to be a good human. I would recommend this memoir to everyone. It's well worth your time and you will benefit from reading it. Thank you to Net Galley once again for a read I would have otherwise missed.

This memoir is beautifully written and so very touching. I loved reading about Lorena and her family and her medical struggles and her victories! I enjoyed learning about her hometown in Mexico and the traditions she held onto in Texas and her then to her travels. I feel like I could relate to much of what she described going through as well as the dynamics of her family structure. I’m so glad I read this amazing account!

On the Way to Casa Lotus: A Memoir of Family, Art, Injury, and Forgiveness is a well written and inspiring book. Our surgeons (and providers) are human and not infallible. The way the author took control of her medical care, becoming proactive, asking questions and participating is motivational. Her capacity for forgiveness and focus on moving forward saves her and preserves her integrity. I highly recommend this book.

**I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book,

Lorena Junco Margain is unsettled. After escaping Mexico because of safety concerns, she finds out that she has a medical problem that can be fixed with surgery. However, there is a problem when the surgery is done. Can she find it in herself to forgive and build a new life? This is Lorena's true story in her own words.

This was a very well written account of the authors dealings with a medical issue which had debilitated her and made her feel as if she was going crazy.
The author moved to Austin Texas from Mexico, where she and her family were living a great life. She was very much into the arts, her extended family and her friends, husband and kids who are the constants in her life, always surrounding her. Then the symptoms started.
She gives us a detailed account of her symptoms, the research and Doctors, healers and spiritualist that she sought to cure herself. It's nice when you can pinpoint the reason for your pain, thinking this will cure everything, and then one unnecessary mistake had her worse than before.
It is a story which kept me reading as I wanted to find out what was causing this brutal attack on her body. We see how she deals with it, in pain but always with grace. She is a fighter and luckily she is.
She gives us a wonderful feeling for her passion which is art, and collecting art.
Her relationships with family, who were always there for her, and her compassion for people which gave her a very forgiving personality which you will experience as you see her outcome.
A worthy read for sure and look into a medical issue I had never thought of.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Cuco press for a copy of this book.