Lucy Grealy
Encyclopedia
Lucinda Margaret Grealy (June 3, 1963 – December 18, 2002) was an American poet and memoirist who wrote Autobiography of a Face in 1994. This critically acclaimed book describes her childhood and early adolescence experience with cancer
of the jaw, which left her with some facial disfigurement. In a 1994 interview with Charlie Rose conducted right before she rose to the height of her fame, Lucy states that she considers her book to be primarily about the issue of 'identity.'
, and her family moved to the United States
in April 1967, settling in Spring Valley, New York
. She was diagnosed at the age of 9 with a rare form of cancer called Ewing's sarcoma. Treatment for this often fatal cancer (Grealy reports an estimated 5% survival rate) led to the removal of her jawbone, and over the following years she had many facial
reconstructive surgeries
. The book describes how she weathered the cruelty of schoolmates and others, suffering taunts and endless stares from strangers.
At 18, Grealy entered Sarah Lawrence College
where she made her first real friends and nurtured her love of poetry. She graduated in 1985 and went on to study at the Iowa Writers' Workshop
. In Iowa
she lived with fellow writer Ann Patchett
. Their friendship is the subject of Patchett's 2004 memoir Truth and Beauty: A Friendship.
She also published a collection of essays in 2000, titled As Seen on TV: Provocations.
Following her final reconstructive surgery, Grealy became dependent upon her prescribed painkiller, OxyContin
, as she had earlier with codeine
. She died of a heroin overdose on December 18, 2002, in New York City
, at the age of 39.
Her sister, Suellen Grealy, is opposed to Ann Patchett's depiction of Lucy in Truth & Beauty. She claims that Patchett and the book's publisher Harper Collins stole the Grealy family's right to grieve privately.
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
of the jaw, which left her with some facial disfigurement. In a 1994 interview with Charlie Rose conducted right before she rose to the height of her fame, Lucy states that she considers her book to be primarily about the issue of 'identity.'
Life
Grealy was born in Dublin, IrelandRepublic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, and her family moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in April 1967, settling in Spring Valley, New York
Spring Valley, New York
Spring Valley, incorporated on July 9, 1902 is a village spanning the Town of Ramapo and Town of Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Nanuet; east of Airmont and Monsey; south of Hillcrest and west of West Nyack...
. She was diagnosed at the age of 9 with a rare form of cancer called Ewing's sarcoma. Treatment for this often fatal cancer (Grealy reports an estimated 5% survival rate) led to the removal of her jawbone, and over the following years she had many facial
Craniofacial surgery
Craniofacial surgery is a surgical subspecialty of maxillofacial surgery, plastic surgery, and ENT that deals with congenital and acquired deformities of the skull, face, and jaws. Although craniofacial treatment often involves manipulation of bone, craniofacial surgery is not tissue-specific,...
reconstructive surgeries
Reconstructive surgery
Reconstructive surgery is, in its broadest sense, the use of surgery to restore the form and function of the body, although Maxillo-Facial Surgeons, Plastic Surgeons and Otolaryngologists do reconstructive surgery on faces after trauma and to reconstruct the head and neck after cancer.Other...
. The book describes how she weathered the cruelty of schoolmates and others, suffering taunts and endless stares from strangers.
At 18, Grealy entered Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
where she made her first real friends and nurtured her love of poetry. She graduated in 1985 and went on to study at the Iowa Writers' Workshop
Iowa Writers' Workshop
The Program in Creative Writing, more commonly known as the Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, is a highly regarded graduate-level creative writing program in the United States...
. In Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
she lived with fellow writer Ann Patchett
Ann Patchett
Ann Patchett is an American author. She received the Orange Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award in 2002 for her novel Bel Canto. Patchett's other novels include Run, The Patron Saint of Liars, Taft, and The Magician's Assistant, which was shortlisted for the Orange Prize...
. Their friendship is the subject of Patchett's 2004 memoir Truth and Beauty: A Friendship.
She also published a collection of essays in 2000, titled As Seen on TV: Provocations.
Following her final reconstructive surgery, Grealy became dependent upon her prescribed painkiller, OxyContin
Oxycodone
Oxycodone is an opioid analgesic medication synthesized from opium-derived thebaine. It was developed in 1916 in Germany, as one of several new semi-synthetic opioids in an attempt to improve on the existing opioids: morphine, diacetylmorphine , and codeine.Oxycodone oral medications are generally...
, as she had earlier with codeine
Codeine
Codeine or 3-methylmorphine is an opiate used for its analgesic, antitussive, and antidiarrheal properties...
. She died of a heroin overdose on December 18, 2002, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, at the age of 39.
Her sister, Suellen Grealy, is opposed to Ann Patchett's depiction of Lucy in Truth & Beauty. She claims that Patchett and the book's publisher Harper Collins stole the Grealy family's right to grieve privately.