"Life doesn't come with an owner's manuaI. Each of us has to figure out how to live our life the best way we can."
In 1969 at the age of thirteen, Suzy Szasz was diagnosed as having Systemic Lupus Erythmetosus, an "autoimmune" disease in which the body's natural defence mechanisms go awry, producing an excess of antibodies that attack healthy tissues. Although she has never denied her illness and its effects on her life, Szasz has fought for her sense of identity as a person, not a patient. This is a courageous account of living with a chronic illness, but it is much more. It's a powerful lesson in self-determination and a personal declaration of independence.
"Patients with a chronic illness must recognize that while they are not responsible for the disease, they must take responsibility its management."
Suzy Szasz (Ithaca, NY) is an acadeniic reference librarian.
243 pages Publication date 30th May, 1996