Jonathan Gabriel Raskas offers guidance to those in mourning seeking meaning within everyday life, warns readers about dangers of generic drugs in new memoir
ST. LOUIS– At some point, death and grief become part of every person’s life — but Jonathan Gabriel Raskas never expected he would be mourning the loss of one of his children. In “Infinito: 22”(published by Lulu), Raskas remembers his son Ralph, and shares how a single injection of the drug metoclopramide administered in the emergency room took Ralph’s life. Using a unique lyrical prose complemented by Raskas’ landscape photography, the book serves as both a warning for users and prescribers of generic drugs, as well as a guide for moving forward and finding infinite purpose in a finite existence (Infinito22.com).
In the book, Raskas recounts how Ralph was taken to the ER for food poisoning, where he was treated with Reglan (a generic version of metoclopramide manufactured by TEVA). “Without regard for its danger and full disclosure, a healthy, bright young man began to lose his life within minutes of a single 5mg injection,” Raskas explains. After Ralph’s death, a mourning Raskas tried to find justice, but failed “because of a United States Supreme Court law effectively shielding generic pharmaceutical corporations from liability from all United States Citizens.”
Raskas began keeping a private journal, which soon evolved into an inspiring narrative of loss from a compassionate father trying to process a pointless death. While walking the Oregon coast for inspiration, the author offers his views on parenting, pain, and purpose using his prose, poetry and photography.
Praise for “Infinito: 22”
“‘Infinito: 22,’ where the ‘finite box’ of one’s life’s story resides in ones ‘infinite’ legacy, is as beautiful as the man who wrote it, the children he raised and the son he lost.”
—Dr. Phil Dembo, author of “The Real Purpose of Parenting: The Book You Wish Your Parents Read”
“Infinito: 22”
By Jonathan Gabriel Raskas
Hardcover | 8.25 x 10.75 in | 170 pages | ISBN 9781483484754
Softcover | 8.5 x 11 in | 170 pages | ISBN 9781483484747
E-Book | 170 pages | ISBN 9781483484730
Direct from publisher Lulu.com
Available at Amazon Books and Barnes & Noble Online, iBooks
About the Author
Born in Boston and raised in St. Louis, JonathanGabriel Raskasearned his undergraduate degree from Columbia University in New York City and his Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Business at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Over the years, he has held positions including director of strategic planning, chief financial officer and president, and currently works in the financial industry. He is a licensed scuba diver, airline transport pilot and flight instructor. He volunteers as a pilot for the medical air transport operated by Wings of Hope, based in St. Louis, flying children in need of medical care. He started a public charity in memory of his son, Ralph Gabriel Raskas, called RalphCares (RalphCares.org). In 2017, in front of a judge three days before his natural birthday, he legally changed his middle name to Gabriel as way to connect with his son.
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