In Your Face: One Woman's Encounter with Cancer, Doctors, Nurses, Machines, Family, Friends, and a Few Enemies

by Lia Mills

Lia Mills went to the dentist, worried about a painful lump in her cheek. This is her account of what happened next - a diagnosis of oral cancer; surgery to remove the tumour and reconstruct her jaw; a broken leg that came about as the result of a bone graft; radiotherapy and resulting illness; and, finally, recovery.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. The author is an Irish writer who lives in Dublin, and this is her journal entries as she is diagnosed with and fights cancer in her jaw. Her husand travels a lot for work, so while she has his support, she must often rely on her children and friends in her day to day battle. Fighting the cancer is a full time job, whether she's in the hospital or just going in for daily treatments, which is something I don't feel I have grasped in reading other books that deal with cancer. The journal format lends itself well to depicting that daily routine. It's an honest and hopeful book about what it is like to go through this struggle. I was moved to tears a few times through Mills' appreciation for her medical team, or her appreciation of the little things in life.

[Derbhile Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gets 4.5 stars. It's a stunning book, visceral yet lyrical. At times, it's a tough read, but it's a refreshing change from the usual relentlessly positive treatment of cancer in the media and in literature. Yet the beauty of the writing and the courage and strength shown by Mills makes it an uplifting read and leaves the reader with a sense of hope.

[Deirdre · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brutally honest, touching and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny account of one woman's journey with cancer. Lia finds a lump, a sore that won't go away in her mouth and finds herself undergoing radical surgery and radiotherapy to fix things. She keeps notes and a diary and this is the result, a story of her travel through cancer and her voyage to the new world of post-cancer self. Well written, I look forward to reading more by her.

[Tracy L · Rating 4 out of 5]

An at times brutally honest account of the author's own experience of mouth cancer, from diagnosis through to radiotherapy. Very frank and moving. A real survival story.