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 personal experiences 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. ( )

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. ( )