![]() Charlotte decides to file a wrongful-birth lawsuit against Piper. ![]() After a vacation at Disney World goes horribly awry, the O’Keefes spiral apart. Although Willow is precocious intellectually and for the most part a joy to be around, her illness is, inarguably, a drain on family finances and emotions. Charlotte abandoned her career to care for Willow 24/7. Now age six, Willow, still toddler-sized, cannot walk, play or even turn over in bed without risking a compound fracture. At 27 weeks, another ultrasound reveals that Charlotte’s daughter has sustained several fractures in utero, a sign that she suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a rare congenital defect that causes brittle bones and severe complications (including scoliosis, respiratory problems and years of costly orthopedic interventions). Eighteen weeks into the pregnancy, during a routine ultrasound, Piper, looking for signs of possible Down syndrome, discounts the import of the fetus’s unusually transparent cranium. ![]() ![]() Charlotte’s best friend Piper unwisely agrees to be her OB-GYN. Although she has a daughter, Amelia, by a previous relationship, she and her new husband, police officer Sean, wanted a child of their own. In another issue-driven novel, Picoult ( Change of Heart, 2008, etc.) explores the impact of “wrongful birth” litigation on an ordinary New Hampshire family.Ĭharlotte O’Keefe, a prominent pastry chef, was thrilled when she conceived at age 38 without resorting to fertility treatments. ![]()
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