A memoir of ill health seen through the prism of a pandemic
Description
Transplanted and Exposed is a brutally candid, quirky and amusing memoir recounting a period of the author's life when a number of health issues spiralled out of control - a period that ended with a double-organ transplant.
Opening from the moment he wakes from that operation, the book details a life led with many hidden, and not-so-hidden, disabilities. It contains flashbacks and anecdotes to medical events, with the aim to share a frank and unflinching portrayal of ill health and the complications so many face on a day-to-day basis.
These memories are recalled during the corona pandemic, which put the lives of the most vulnerable in society into sharp focus. But it is not about the pandemic per se; rather, it is meant as a window on, and exploration of, a life lived with a range of disabilities.
Heart-wrenching, stomach-churning and downright-bizarre memories of being partially sighted, on dialysis, in a wheelchair, and in a coma give an intimate account of the daily personal struggles of someone who, by all accounts, looks 'healthy'.
There's piss, poo, sick, bile, and blood, but despite all that, the book's intention isn't to gross you out or offend you - it's to enlighten and entertain while also expose a society riddled with ableism.
