During his thirty-plus years of practicing in West Texas and Minnesota, Tom Hutton discovered that a doctor’s best teachers are often his patients. From these (extra)ordinary individuals, he gained a whole-hearted respect for the resourcefulness, courage, and resilience of the human spirit. Tom Hutton is an internationally recognized clinical and research neurologist and award winning educator. A recognized expert on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, Dr. Hutton’s professional career was split between academic medicine and private practice. He is the author/editor of over 100 professional articles and chapters and 8 professional books, several of which are targeted to patients and caregivers. Born in Kansas City, Tom grew up in Texas, graduated from Texas Tech University and Baylor College of Medicine. He did his internship at Hennepin County General Hospital in Minneapolis and residency at the University of Minnesota. He served on the faculty of the U of M medical school before moving back to West Texas where he joined the faculty of the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center and later enjoyed a rewarding private practice. Carrying the Black Bag is his first book for a general audience. Inspired by those whose lives prompted his professional sojourn, he lovingly tells his patients’ stories, describes their immense reservoirs of courage and perseverance, and depicts their struggles to achieve balance for their disrupted lives. He shares these stories of pathos and humor in the hope they will inspire and help other patients, family members and health care professionals. He invites the reader into his exam room to meet remarkable people with uncommon coping skills and wonderful tales. Retired from medicine in 2001, Tom and Trudy, his wife of 46 years, live on a small ranch in the Texas Hill Country where he ranches cattle, writes about neurological patients, Border collies, and retirement. He is currently working on his second book, Retiring the Black Bag.