The Wrong Road Home

The Wrong Road Home is a story of treachery and deceit inspired by true events. It's the larger-than-life story of a surgeon who successfully practiced for 20 years--first in Ireland and then the United States--girded with nothing more than a Chicago School System GED and several counterfeit medical diplomas Impossible, is undoubtedly any reader's initial reaction--and understandably so--but the tale is based on a Miami Herald Sunday Edition front page exposE that was the talk of South Florida two decades ago. Oprah's producer pursued the imposter for weeks, as did Bill O'Reilly, then the host of Inside Edition.

The Wrong Road Home combines two cautionary tales. The first warns how a Faustian bargain once struck, allows for no turning back. Desmond Donahue's impossible dream of becoming a "doctor" was indeed realized over time, and a "doctor" he remained despite several close calls in the ensuing years. The second cautionary message details the terrible cost in human terms of a life lived alone; of having to forgo marriage and children; of never having a close friend; of having to keep everyone ever met at arm's length so the day would never arrive where he would inadvertently expose the awful truth about himself.