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My Leaky Body: Tales from the Gurney
"Part memoir, part manifesto, Julie Devaney’s profoundly honest new book should be required reading for anyone who may ever have to visit a hospital – which means, in effect, everyone." Quill & Quire
Her weakest moment spawned a crusade for change. Julie Devaney takes us on a journey through the health care system as she is diagnosed and treated for ulcerative colitis. In and out of emergency rooms in Vancouver and Toronto, she’s poked, prodded, and abandoned to a closet at one point, bearing the helplessness and indignities of a system that at best confuses a patient into silence.
Raw, harrowing, and darkly funny, Julie Devaney argues convincingly for fixes to the system and better training for all medical personnel. As she recovers, she sets out to do just that: setting up a gurney on stage at workshops and conferences across the country to teach Bedside Manners 101 and to advocate for repairs to the system.
Part memoir, part love story, part revolutionary manifesto, My Leaky Body is politically astute, gooey like cake batter, and raw like ulcerated bowels. Devaney writes the book that will heal her aching heart and relax her strictured rectum as she weaves stories from professional and public interactions with tales from her gurney.
Her weakest moment spawned a crusade for change. Julie Devaney takes us on a journey through the health care system as she is diagnosed and treated for ulcerative colitis. In and out of emergency rooms in Vancouver and Toronto, she’s poked, prodded, and abandoned to a closet at one point, bearing the helplessness and indignities of a system that at best confuses a patient into silence.
Raw, harrowing, and darkly funny, Julie Devaney argues convincingly for fixes to the system and better training for all medical personnel. As she recovers, she sets out to do just that: setting up a gurney on stage at workshops and conferences across the country to teach Bedside Manners 101 and to advocate for repairs to the system.
Part memoir, part love story, part revolutionary manifesto, My Leaky Body is politically astute, gooey like cake batter, and raw like ulcerated bowels. Devaney writes the book that will heal her aching heart and relax her strictured rectum as she weaves stories from professional and public interactions with tales from her gurney.
344 pages, Paperback
First published September 21, 2012
4 people are currently reading
426 people want to read
About the author
Julie Devaney
2 books14 followersJulie Devaney is a patient-expert based in Toronto. She is the author and performer of the critically acclaimed show, educational workshop series, and book, My Leaky Body. According to the National Post, “While this memoir is an uncompromisingly detailed account of one woman’s medical experiences, it acts as a sort of Everyman tome, a handbook on the rights of the patient to dictate their own path to wellness.”
Devaney was named a Woman Health Hero by Best Health Magazine in 2011 and has been profiled on CBC Radio’s White Coat, Black Art and The Current, Chatelaine and the Toronto Star. Her writing has appeared in The Globe and Mail, Toronto Life and numerous anthologies.
Julie has performed at medical schools, nursing conferences and theatres throughout Canada and in the US and the UK using participatory techniques with patients and professionals to formulate strategies for change and innovation in healthcare. Her work at the University Health Network in Toronto has transformed real patient stories into staff training.
Devaney was named a Woman Health Hero by Best Health Magazine in 2011 and has been profiled on CBC Radio’s White Coat, Black Art and The Current, Chatelaine and the Toronto Star. Her writing has appeared in The Globe and Mail, Toronto Life and numerous anthologies.
Julie has performed at medical schools, nursing conferences and theatres throughout Canada and in the US and the UK using participatory techniques with patients and professionals to formulate strategies for change and innovation in healthcare. Her work at the University Health Network in Toronto has transformed real patient stories into staff training.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 15, 2013
My Leaky Body is at once a medical memoir and revolutionary call to action. It is a harrowing, brave, and detailed account of political and medical activist Julie Devaney's diagnosis and attempts to seek treatment for a very severe case of ulcerated colitis from various medical professionals across the country. More than that it is a fiery proclamation for how we might achieve a healthcare system (and on a more specific level working patient/doctor relationships) that does not leave sick human beings languishing in hallways and having their voices ignored.
My Leaky Body is powerful, raw, brave, and incredibly intelligent. It is also often darkly funny since jokes/wit are a part of of the way Devaney processes years of negative interactions and experiences with well-meaning medical professionals (as well as truly heinous academics who choose to treat her--a chronically ill person--with derision instead of compassion). I should be clear though, that Devaney is not about painting herself as a hero--she unpacks and theorizes her own behaviour just as much as that of the doctors, nurses, and specialists she writes about.
What HAPPILY sets this tome apart from other books about "healing" is this critical impulse. Devaney does not subscribe to the idea that chronic illness is some sort of "divine gift" or "god-given trial" that teaches us about our "strength." Health is a moralized concept that I found it incredibly refreshing to read the words of a sick person who never once suggested that illness is "brought oneself" or that one owes health or "stoicism" to society. (To quote another great writer, Miranda July, "you think you deserve this pain, but you don't). Chronic illness is shitty. Full stop. Too often it is an isolating and exhausting more-than-full-time job for the person trying to seek treatment and live their life. There are no silver linings, just bad and good days and those in-between.
Devaney's critique of Canada's healthcare system is unapologetic, pointed, and vital. Her belief that things can improve is empowering and inspiring. Devaney--who expresses infinite compassion for those trying to treat patients with very few resources and inadequate support--now travels the country performing her show (on which the book is based) and conducting workshops with healthcare professionals about how to better relate and communicate with their patients.
In a particularly striking section, Devaney talks about who she'd include in her own revolutionary army (Tommy Douglas, Frida Kahlo among others appear to her in dreams). We should all be so lucky as to have Devaney herself as part of our revolutionary armies. In writing this book and doing her work, in a real way she already is.
My Leaky Body is powerful, raw, brave, and incredibly intelligent. It is also often darkly funny since jokes/wit are a part of of the way Devaney processes years of negative interactions and experiences with well-meaning medical professionals (as well as truly heinous academics who choose to treat her--a chronically ill person--with derision instead of compassion). I should be clear though, that Devaney is not about painting herself as a hero--she unpacks and theorizes her own behaviour just as much as that of the doctors, nurses, and specialists she writes about.
What HAPPILY sets this tome apart from other books about "healing" is this critical impulse. Devaney does not subscribe to the idea that chronic illness is some sort of "divine gift" or "god-given trial" that teaches us about our "strength." Health is a moralized concept that I found it incredibly refreshing to read the words of a sick person who never once suggested that illness is "brought oneself" or that one owes health or "stoicism" to society. (To quote another great writer, Miranda July, "you think you deserve this pain, but you don't). Chronic illness is shitty. Full stop. Too often it is an isolating and exhausting more-than-full-time job for the person trying to seek treatment and live their life. There are no silver linings, just bad and good days and those in-between.
Devaney's critique of Canada's healthcare system is unapologetic, pointed, and vital. Her belief that things can improve is empowering and inspiring. Devaney--who expresses infinite compassion for those trying to treat patients with very few resources and inadequate support--now travels the country performing her show (on which the book is based) and conducting workshops with healthcare professionals about how to better relate and communicate with their patients.
In a particularly striking section, Devaney talks about who she'd include in her own revolutionary army (Tommy Douglas, Frida Kahlo among others appear to her in dreams). We should all be so lucky as to have Devaney herself as part of our revolutionary armies. In writing this book and doing her work, in a real way she already is.
September 23, 2012
I was visiting my daughter who was lucky enough to win this book via First Reads and she let me read it first. I was interested from two perspectives - that of a registered nurse and that of a person with a chronic illness, Rheumatoid Arthritis. I could identify from both sides of the coin and it brought back many memories for me from my own experiences. So many things rang true for me. When Devaney describes telling staff where to place the iv and having them ignore her, I knew just what she was talking about. When I have bloodwork done I always direct staff where to poke. The good ones listen and I feel nothing, the bad ones don't and it hurts. This definitely should be required reading for medical students, nusing students techs etc. as well as for those with chronic illness searching for a way to be heard.
November 5, 2012
Amazing, amazing, amazing. I can't say enough about this book.
Everyone should read it, sick or not, health professional or not. It's so familiar as someone with chronic health problems, and yet makes me really grateful mine have never gotten this severe. If you've never been really sick, this might help you get a glimpse into what it's like to be totally helpless and desperate at a level you can't even imagine.
I'm so glad she's doing all this advocacy and awareness work in Canada, hopefully it will help things to get better...
Everyone should read it, sick or not, health professional or not. It's so familiar as someone with chronic health problems, and yet makes me really grateful mine have never gotten this severe. If you've never been really sick, this might help you get a glimpse into what it's like to be totally helpless and desperate at a level you can't even imagine.
I'm so glad she's doing all this advocacy and awareness work in Canada, hopefully it will help things to get better...
May 9, 2018
3.5 stars.
this is a tricky one for me to review, given i happen to be in possession of my own leaky body at the moment, and share a long history of hospitalizations and medical traumas with devaney. so if this 'review' doesn't make much sense, likely it's because this read was much more personal than usual, and that makes the processing of the book a bit trickier in my brain. i also stayed up pretty much all night reading this (it was a bad night), so my brain is pretty foggy as i write this. #TheJoys :)
while i didn't take to devaney's writing voice too well, her experiences and insights are extremely valuable and should be eye-opening and informative for anyone/everyone. devaney lives with ulcerative colitis. her schooling (she has a masters’ degree in critical disability studies from york university, toronto) and work as a health advocate and a patient-expert offers a hugely experienced lens for this story. devaney shares her ordeals as a patient, while offering thoughts on how healthcare could be improved for both patients and practitioners.
while we have had different paths with our diseases and care, there were many spot-on relatable moments in this book. as a patient, much is lost and given up during the processes of diagnoses and treatments. living with chronic illness also hugely affects every aspect of life, beyond the disease itself - even on what could be a called 'good day', 'good' is relative. life can get incredibly small, living with chronic disease. these were the moments in the book with which i felt most engaged. reading how someone else navigates the chaos and awfulness of crappy health and the conveyer belts of hospitals and medical appointments was weirdly reassuring. mostly, i just appreciate that devaney could write about her experiences and put it out there in the world for the benefit of others. the human body is a bonkers and amazing thing.
this is a tricky one for me to review, given i happen to be in possession of my own leaky body at the moment, and share a long history of hospitalizations and medical traumas with devaney. so if this 'review' doesn't make much sense, likely it's because this read was much more personal than usual, and that makes the processing of the book a bit trickier in my brain. i also stayed up pretty much all night reading this (it was a bad night), so my brain is pretty foggy as i write this. #TheJoys :)
while i didn't take to devaney's writing voice too well, her experiences and insights are extremely valuable and should be eye-opening and informative for anyone/everyone. devaney lives with ulcerative colitis. her schooling (she has a masters’ degree in critical disability studies from york university, toronto) and work as a health advocate and a patient-expert offers a hugely experienced lens for this story. devaney shares her ordeals as a patient, while offering thoughts on how healthcare could be improved for both patients and practitioners.
while we have had different paths with our diseases and care, there were many spot-on relatable moments in this book. as a patient, much is lost and given up during the processes of diagnoses and treatments. living with chronic illness also hugely affects every aspect of life, beyond the disease itself - even on what could be a called 'good day', 'good' is relative. life can get incredibly small, living with chronic disease. these were the moments in the book with which i felt most engaged. reading how someone else navigates the chaos and awfulness of crappy health and the conveyer belts of hospitals and medical appointments was weirdly reassuring. mostly, i just appreciate that devaney could write about her experiences and put it out there in the world for the benefit of others. the human body is a bonkers and amazing thing.
March 8, 2013
I felt she complained a little too much.
January 30, 2024
This astounding novel by Julie Devaney is a raw, and enlightening narrative. At only 22 years old, Julie was facing the beginning of an extremely arduous and lengthy journey of ulcerative colitis. This book is a collection of what are sure to be some of the worst moments along that journey that will no doubt never leave her, and those moments of hope that there is a reality past this. This book covers so much ground- from her own personal traumas and experiences, to the failing medical system in Canada. It sheds light on the dehumanizing affect many hospitals and doctors may bestow upon patients, and how chronic illness patients are typically disregarded as being low priority. But it also reminds us of how kind, attentive, and caring doctors that can make all the difference in anyone going through their healthcare journey. Attitudes and behavior hold more power than we know, and even seemingly subtle changes can make all the difference in a patients comfort and trust levels, which are vital.
This book truly taught me that even when it seems the whole world is against you, having those strong personal connections can be a lifeline. Clear and effective communication makes all the difference, whether it be with loved ones or medical professionals. And how you choose to behave towards certain people can change everything.
A factor to the sheer captivation of this book was the truthful, sheer honesty Julie shared. She shared thoughts and experiences that so many others would bury within the deepest crevice's of ourselves. Within those pages are unfiltered, personal moments that she has chosen to share with the world. The pain, the hope, and loss she described all came through as the book went on.
Anyone can learn so much from this book. The book itself alongside Julie's work as an activist, I hope, will and has played a part in reshaping the healthcare system, and especially training for it. Moving forward, I hope people will look to this book to see just how much impact one person can make, and how we can strive to be better individuals, teachers, doctors, and so much more.
I would recommend this book primarily to healthcare practitioners, and people working in humanities or with any patient exposure. This book is for everyone. It is for people with experiences with the healthcare system themselves, for aspiring doctors.
To put it into two words: this book is raw, and honest. So much focus is put into the fact that this is still a journey, and it never fully ends, but it gets better as it goes on, and that there is peace and acceptance. as Julie phrased it: "There were casualties along the way, but there's a sea of new people that have come to see us through, to march and dance and walk and roll with us, on to the next stages of this journey."
This book truly taught me that even when it seems the whole world is against you, having those strong personal connections can be a lifeline. Clear and effective communication makes all the difference, whether it be with loved ones or medical professionals. And how you choose to behave towards certain people can change everything.
A factor to the sheer captivation of this book was the truthful, sheer honesty Julie shared. She shared thoughts and experiences that so many others would bury within the deepest crevice's of ourselves. Within those pages are unfiltered, personal moments that she has chosen to share with the world. The pain, the hope, and loss she described all came through as the book went on.
Anyone can learn so much from this book. The book itself alongside Julie's work as an activist, I hope, will and has played a part in reshaping the healthcare system, and especially training for it. Moving forward, I hope people will look to this book to see just how much impact one person can make, and how we can strive to be better individuals, teachers, doctors, and so much more.
I would recommend this book primarily to healthcare practitioners, and people working in humanities or with any patient exposure. This book is for everyone. It is for people with experiences with the healthcare system themselves, for aspiring doctors.
To put it into two words: this book is raw, and honest. So much focus is put into the fact that this is still a journey, and it never fully ends, but it gets better as it goes on, and that there is peace and acceptance. as Julie phrased it: "There were casualties along the way, but there's a sea of new people that have come to see us through, to march and dance and walk and roll with us, on to the next stages of this journey."
June 5, 2013
My Leaky Body: Tales from the Gurney is Julie Devaney's courageous and frank memoir of living with gastrointestinal disease, following up on her very successful performances on the same subject.
While My Leaky Body is very explicit about the challenges of living with chronic illness, which include extreme pain, frustration, depression, inability to work or study, Devaney is never self-pitying. She tells her story with humour and honesty.
Devaney skilfully uses her personal experience to build a model of patient advocacy, where medical personnel can use effective communication, honesty, compassion in a partnership with the patient for better diagnosis and treatment.
I would recommend this book to anyone who works in the medical field, who has ever been a patient, or who is interested in reading an engaging and honest memoir of someone who has prevailed in a tough situation.
While My Leaky Body is very explicit about the challenges of living with chronic illness, which include extreme pain, frustration, depression, inability to work or study, Devaney is never self-pitying. She tells her story with humour and honesty.
Devaney skilfully uses her personal experience to build a model of patient advocacy, where medical personnel can use effective communication, honesty, compassion in a partnership with the patient for better diagnosis and treatment.
I would recommend this book to anyone who works in the medical field, who has ever been a patient, or who is interested in reading an engaging and honest memoir of someone who has prevailed in a tough situation.
October 15, 2012
I received this book from the GoodReads, First Read Giveaway and I am thrilled that I did!!! At first I thought this might be a neat book to read as I have some relatives with Crohn's, but my curiosity was soon erased. This book was amazing and appalling all in one page! I haven't had to deal with the health care system in Canada much, but I sure hope that when I do someone who has seen a conference with Julie will be there. Her passion and commitment to her own, an consequently Canada's, health was moving. She inspired me to listen to my own health and get a diagnosis for my own "minor" issues. I highly recommend this book to everyone!! If you have ever been sick, and ignored by health care professional then this book is for you! It's about time we all take a stand for our health!
February 3, 2015
My Leaky Body was exactly what I needed to read in the midst of my own struggle with ulcerative colitis. I was able to relate on so many levels, almost to the point where I felt a little creeped out that Ms. Devaney had found a way to get into my head and steal words right out of my brain (and, in so doing, make them sound far more eloquent than I ever could).
I want to recommend this book to, well, everyone. Whether you are a health care professional, a person who wants to become a health care professional, a person struggling with a chronic illness, or a person who cares about someone who is struggling with a chronic illness, there is something in this book for you.
I want to recommend this book to, well, everyone. Whether you are a health care professional, a person who wants to become a health care professional, a person struggling with a chronic illness, or a person who cares about someone who is struggling with a chronic illness, there is something in this book for you.
January 20, 2016
Fabulous!! A painfully honest, sad, yucky, funny, maddening, encouraging, enlightening, no holds barred story of the author’s personal experience of living with a chronic illness, her journey through our healthcare system and some of the bone head medical professionals we encounter while seeking relief and treatment.
This book should be read by all medical professionals, patients, family/friends of patients, caregivers, advocates………oh hell EVERYONE read this book! Kudos to Julie from a fellow “leaky body” for masterfully and descriptively putting your feelings into words.
This book should be read by all medical professionals, patients, family/friends of patients, caregivers, advocates………oh hell EVERYONE read this book! Kudos to Julie from a fellow “leaky body” for masterfully and descriptively putting your feelings into words.
September 21, 2013
I loved this book. I really felt for Julie but even though she's telling all these stories about the horrible things that happen to her, it never comes across that she's feeling sorry for herself, at least not often. I was so surprised at how positive she stays throughout the whole ordeal and how she took that experience and developed a mission out of it. She didn't just lie there and take it, she went out and tried to change the system. I'd love to see her perform her show live.
May 31, 2013
Raw and honest, beautiful, amazing book. It was really painful to read a lot of the time, but her honesty and strength was so inspiring. I feel generally awful she was treated so badly - some of the doctor contact was downright abusive. I have been in and out of the Canadian health care system, and doctors have been rude to me, but reading this book, I felt so lucky. Poor Julie. Her story is true resilience.
February 7, 2013
Fantastic book for anyone living with a chronic illness. Julie retraces her steps in being diagnosed with either Crohn's or Colitis (two specialist differ). She relives her nights in the ER, the shoddy and wonderful treatment by doctors, specialists and nurses. She traces her path to Health care activism. Wonderful read, I really related to it and could hardly put it down.
April 12, 2016
I can't believe I've owned this book for a few years and didn't read it sooner. It is funny, sad, infuriating, inspiring all at the same time. This is a call to action about how patients are treated, how medical professionals are trained, about a broken system and about how I treat myself. Recommended reading, not just for health care professionals.
December 24, 2012
A very fine book, filled with hard emotions and harder reflections on the state of health care, the savior/survivor trope of nurses today, and the resiliency of the human body. Must read for physicians, nurses, or anyone that has a job healing the ill or injured.
August 30, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Engaging, funny, horrifying, all rolled into one book. Anyone who has spent anytime navigating the health care system themselves or with a loved one will identify with this book. Treat yourself, pick up a copy!
January 1, 2016
The author has ulcerative colitis and it is about her journey through the medical system. I completely related to everything she addressed especially the ‘imposter’ syndrome. I honestly felt like she wrote the book for me.
July 1, 2017
Overall, I enjoyed this memoir and felt for the protagonist. I feel like the subject matter could have been more balanced. This would have made for a more insightful commentary.
I hope to read more from this author.
I hope to read more from this author.
April 23, 2013
Great memoir about coping not just with colitis, but with the health care system. Presents a strong argument for prioritizing rather than privatizing Canadian health care!
February 14, 2017
0_0
Wow.
Wow.
December 6, 2022
A well written account of many patients experiences
May 11, 2023
Great book. The narrator shares her story with chronic illness and the Canadian healthcare system.
June 10, 2014
Provocative and interesting.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews