A Face In Time ~~ 20th Anniversary Edition

There is a beginning & an end to cancer:  the “beginning” is all about the disease and treatment & the “end” is all about whether someone lives or dies.  But what about those in the “middle” – the inbetweeners who lived but suffered serious lifelong consequences from the “treatment” – consequences they never knew would change their life!  What about them?  

A Face In Time is about the beginning, middle, & end for Judy when diagnosed with a malignant facial tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma (in 1977) at the age of 17.  She had no idea that Western medicine would betray her when seeking help.  She had no idea that radiologists & oncologists would almost kill her with treatment or radical surgery.  She (nor her parents) ever knew that radiation would fuse her jaw, destroy the vision in her left eye, destroy her skin and hearing in her left ear, and cause her to lose one-third or her hair.  That was her “beginning.” 

What about the middle?  She had no idea that 65% of the reconstructive surgeries and repair she underwent years later (damage caused by radiation treatment) would cause more harm, including facial paralysis!  Judy is not the only one whose story is never heard.  For decades, many never wanted to know that treatment can kill or injure, and many never survived like Judy because she ended all her treatment (when her prognosis was only 6-month to 1 year to live) and inhumane care.  

A Face In Time was published in 2004: the story covers 1976-1998, from the time she developed the lump (at 16) to 1998 (at 38) – when she underwent her last reconstructive surgery.  It also carries you through her life with family, friends, and work…and all the medical interruptions.  This Anniversary Edition has some add-ons: including an Afterword which captures the last 20 years (2003-2023), revealing emotional and ongoing dental complications.  

Her memoir is here to open your minds and a dialogue about the in-betweeners – the reality of how millions have endured the unthinkable – accepting the unexpected lifelong damage from treatment. It’s never okay to hide the truth, and the truth is what Judy will share with you.

                                                                          Found on amazon: https://tinyurl.com/ytv966eu