Model Patient: My Life As an Incurable Wise-Ass – A Hilarious Memoir About Surviving Rare Sarcoidosis with Wit and Resilience

by Karen Duffy

From Revlon spokesmodel to film actress to one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People," Karen Duffy was living the life most of us only dream of. Then her whirlwind life of celebrity parties came to an abrupt, grinding halt when she was stricken with a serious illness in one of its rarest sarcoidosis of the central nervous system. Duffy soon realized that the only way for her to survive was not to take the disease too seriously. Instead of hiding from life, she chose to run toward it. She learned to embrace the chaos of a life-threatening disease with a wit and humor that helped her to find the love of her life at a time when things seemed darkest. Model Patient is a gripping, inspiring, and hilarious memoir that recounts the singular triumphs and tragedies of coping with a chronic, life-threatening disease.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Disability, Biography Memoir, Biography, Humor

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Karen Duffy a former model, television personality, bestselling author and actress.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

By the time I was done with this, I wanted to set it on fire. While I do give Duffy credit for trying to approach her illness in a positive way, I found her a disgusting human being overall. She describes how hilarious it was to watch her ex-boyfriend being obnoxious and disruptive in public, with no obvious considering for the other people in and around the situation. She mocks other diseases which, while not life-threatening as her own, are still actual valid diseases that people suffer from. (I have multiple friends with Raynauds and I've seen them on days when they're pretty miserable). She scoffs at, borderline mocking, support groups. If you don't like them or want to go, fine, but they've done a lot of people a lot of good. Worst, to me, was reading about Duffy's realization regarding MRIs. She describes having to go every other month and how she hated them but then one day realized she understood what it was like to be in a veal crate. After coming to this awareness, one would think she would put some energy (or at least some of the money she obviously has) toward stopping such a cruel practice, right? Nope. She says she "rewards" herself for surviving her veal-crate like horror by going out after an having a veal sandwich. What. The. Fuck.

Additionally, Duffy spends a ridiculous amount of time in the book name-dropping. Right. I get it. You dated Dwight Yokam and George Clooney. Good for you. You don't have to refer to them by full name every single time you mention them. And, really, who cares? The only thing they have to do with her recovery aside from being supportive friends is by being wealthy. She could have stayed somewhat humble/modest and referred to them as "a wealthy friend" or just "George", FFS.

Speaking of money, it must be nice to have plenty of it, and have plenty of rich friends, when you're sick. How she expects the average person to relate to her story is beyond me. Plenty of people don't have health insurance, let alone extra money to bring hand-made, expensive cannoli to bring to their doctor whenever they go. Yeah, good, look on the bright side and stay positive. That can be a little tough when you've got mounting health bills you can't possibly pay. Good for her that she was able to continue modeling and acting. Not everyone is able to continue working when they're sick.

Finally, she gives some advice that made me, as a nurse, grit my teeth. Bring people potted plants and bottled water and food they like! Uh, no. Not without checking with hospital policy and the patient's current doctor's orders. A patient may be on a fluid restriction or a specific diet or, at the very least, have their intake monitored and recorded. "Sneaking" someone in something they're not supposed to have may be more detrimental then you realize.

The only chapter I truly enjoyed was written by her husband.

While I certainly don't think anyone deserves suffering, the only reason I'm acutely saddened by Duffy's illness is that it prompted her to write this book.

[Kristy Mallet · Rating 1 out of 5]

Literally one of the worst books I have ever read. I could not stand the author and found her self-absorbed, rude, and completely thoughtless. At the point where she brags about licking a cookie and giving it to an unsuspecting Stevie Wonder I thought she couldn't sink any lower - yet she did. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

[Emily Rozmus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having been just diagnosed with sarcoidosis, I was happy to find books out there to shed some light on this weird disease that no one has ever heard of. This one was available on paperbackswap.com so I ordered it and finally got the scoop on what I have. Duff's sarcoidosis is worse than mine - it was in her spinal column and brain. She almost died, but was able to use her humor to laugh through it all. She also had a lot of famous friends and connections that hooked her up with top-notch medical professionals. Not all of us are that lucky. I am still trying to find a doctor who will treat me...At any rate, this was an okay book, but unless you suffer from some sort of chronic illness, I can't really recommend it. She got boring to me and I have the same thing she does.

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are sections, towards the end, where the author really creates a connection with the sufferer of any chronic illness, which cannot be undervalued. In fact, it's ironic that this is the aspect I liked most about the book, given the author's blatant denigration of support groups, as in my mind, they hold the same value. I do have to detract points for the flippant parts, especially those in the pre-sarcoidosis part of the story; although they were meant to set the stage for the author's later self-reflection, they make the book less appealing.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. As a sarc sufferer myself, I find Karen's humor and incredible take on life always uplifts me and gives me a boost through my bad exacerbations. Combining Hollywood tell-all with illness inspiration, it's a great read for anyone.

[Chris Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Duff is a likable person with an infectious positive outlook and horrible non-infectious disease. I think her perspective and relentless spirit come across better in her second book, Backbone (which I read first by accident). Model Patient is most interesting when it shows the impact on her celebrity life and how she fights to maintain a sense of normalcy as the disease undermines everything.

[Crystal Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. As a sarc sufferer myself diagnosed in 2000, I learned about this book when I saw her on Oprah in early 2001. I find Karen's humor and incredible take on life always uplifts me and gives me a boost through my bad exacerbation's. I was happy to find books out there to shed some light on this weird disease that has no cure. Duff's sarcoidosis is in her spinal column and brain, mine is in my lungs, liver and joints. She almost died, but was able to use her humor to laugh through it all. She also had a lot of famous friends and connections that hooked her up with top-notch medical professionals, wish I had that now; not all of us are that lucky. I am still trying to find a doctor who will treat me correctly...At any rate, this was a great book, and even better if you suffer from some sort of chronic illness.

[Daryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting accidental life. Clever wit. Great outlook.

On the "Reading-Through-This-Section-Was-EXCRUCIATING!!!" side, her husband wrote one chapter in the book. Thank goodness, he chose to keep the day job.

Otherwise, a perfectly pleasant read!

Makes me want to read "Anatomy of An Illness."

[Delaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi ,
I read this book on my Kindle & can honestly say that anyone going through a chronic illness WILL get a lot out " Model Patient" by Karen Duffy
Reading of Karen's story helped me , going through a time , myself .
She is funny, smart & loves life . .
Besides , dating George Clooney , how can it NOT be a good "Tell All" book & a fun read ? ~ lol

Enjoy it & happy Reading All
D :)

[Margie Dorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Professional Patient

I am also a person with a chronic degenerative painful incurable disease. It is refreshing to read a book from the perspective of someone who I s also in the trenches. Her candor,honesty,suggestions,and humor is refreshing. I enjoyed the book very much.

[Diane Sparks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly fluffy and tabloid-esque, yet heart wrenching and uplifting all at once. Not the best book I've read this year, but an enjoyable read nonetheless.

[Debra Daniels-Zeller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book when I was searching for another memoir and realized I'd always wondered what happened to Karen Duffy, so I snagged this book from the library and dove in. This memoir was both touching, funny and inspiring. Though it's a bit dated--I mean who would admit Harvey Weinstein is a friend in the cancel culture of today? And the many references like Baby Jessica--the child who was pulled from a well in 1987 (I had to look it up), made me realize how much the culture has changed and how fast the news cycle moves today. Overall I liked reading Duffy's journey through the medical system that has no cure for rare diseases and can at best, give out prednisone, chemotherapy drugs and morphine and hope for the best. The last 20 percent was the best on Duffy's reflections on what it's like to go from looking like a model and getting lots of attention and freebies that come with Hollywood and MTV success to being a full-time patient with a deteriorating physical appearance and an unsure future. I always rememberd Duffy because she'd once said her goal was to live as long as her milk expiration and she tried to find the cartons with the longest shelf life. Karen Duffy loves to visit old folks homes, she has a great sense of humor (and it comes through here) and she really is the model patient, even dressing up for appointments. Her illness brought lots of reflection, change and adaptation to limitation and uncertainties. This memoir shows a true hero's journey. It was a great read and I hope Karen Duffy is still doing okay.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Karen Duffy better known as "Duff" was a VJ for MTV, a model for Revlon and George Clooney's date for the Emmys before her life changed forever. A day after the aforementioned date, Duff was in excruciating pain from a headache that had lasted for weeks. It's not an exaggeration to state that her life did a complete 180 degree turn from healthy person to gravely ill patient in a matter of days. Duff pulls no punches as she shares what was and wasn't helpful when she was at her sickest. Some of the information hasn't aged well. She credits Harvey Weinstein with saving her life and raves about what a great guy he is. Her advice to bring scented candles to the hospital or have VHS tapes delivered are no longer revelevent. It's an interesting read and a great time capsule of life in New York in the mid to late '90's. Recommended for fans of medical memoirs and the glory days of MTV.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karen Duffy went from model and actress to patient with sarcoidosis but has never lost her sense of humor.

3.5 I read Duff's 'Backbone' a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. That book is more focused on dealing with being chronically ill while still staying upbeat, while this one is about half memoir. It's still good, but she seems a little rougher and more vulgar here. Go into this knowing that she's going to make fun of illness, both as an industry and a state of mind, and you'll enjoy it. Kudos to Duff for maintaining a love of life - as a chronic pain sufferer, I know how difficult that is.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While much of this memoir hasn't aged well, I still enjoyed the very 90s conversational tone, and I liked reading it. Karen Duffy has great stories and an optimism that isn't annoying, while still being realistic about the fear and pain of living with chronic illness. Gen Xers will probably enjoy this book, but I fear younger audiences will be too turned off by the mean humor and some of the (now nefarious) names dropped.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karen Duffy had it all - great career, lots of friends, an active social life and a bright future. Then cancer hit, and not the easily curable kinds. Duffy decided to embrace her new reality, treating cancer with humor, finding love along the way. Hers is a story of hope and strength despite the odds.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met the author as well as a full table of others at an event and really enjoyed our conversation! I decided to check out her book! It was as enjoyable as our conversation and it can add desire to deal with life on your terms, sick or not! I look forward to the book she is writing now!

[Leigh-ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read about a likable woman. Having an autoimmune disorder myself, some parts of the book were particularly familiar and difficult to read. I wish I had Duffy's money to treat my own medical issues!

[Heather G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think those with chronic illness could get something out of this book. I enjoyed reading her story and hung onto this book forever, sort of out of solidarity with her. Extremely, naturally blessed person struck by an extreme unblessing - it makes for an interesting tale.

[Bela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so funny. She would be really fun to hang out with. And I am SO jealous she got to date Dwight Yoakum.

[Marika · Rating 2 out of 5]

she has sarcoidosis, which is what they suspect Alex of having, so it's an interesting read

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the story was inspiring, I was turned off by the author's high regard for herself.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have recently been diagnosed with Sarc in my Lungs and Lymph nodes. I found Duffy's take on the disease very inspiring.

[Thomas Flannery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, and empowering. It's hard to be a whiny ass when you think of what Duff went through, and how she didnt let it cramp her style.

[Singerkeeker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this way back when it first came out and loved her frankness. I found it to be an enjoyable and informative read. I have recommended it to many people looking for an inspiring story.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

She is so funny and loveable. I never thought I could like a model.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting especially the parts where she dated Dwight Yoakam!