Product Description

A triumphant true story of loss, illness and recovery. How one woman turned the sow's ear of a chronic disease into the silk purse of a fulfilling life. Bag Lady is the poignant true story of a woman's struggle with the chronic, debilitating disease of ulcerative colitis. It chronicles how she coped with it before and after making the momentous decision to have an ileostomy and commit to wearing a plastic bag on her stomach for the rest of her life. Bag Lady runs deep. It is more than the story of a woman and her disease. It is the story of a life buffeted by a mindboggling series of profound downers, any one of which would defeat most of us. It is a metaphor for the physical and emotional "baggage" that encumbers every person's life. It reads like page-turning fiction, but it is all true. Bag Lady speaks to the millions of victims of ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and colon cancer and to the families and friends who live their illnesses with them. It trades frankness and understanding for the euphemisms and misconceptions of diseases that, for too long, have been consigned to the shadows of polite discussion.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #658035 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-15
• Released on: 2006-03-01
• Binding: Paperback
• 216 pages

Review
"bag lady is the memoir of a most extraordinary and interesting life." -- Jane E. Brody, Personal Health Columnist, The New York Times

"Bag Lady is the memoir of a most extraordinary and interesting life." -- Jane E. Brody, Personal Health Columnist, The New York Times

"Bag Lady is the memoir of a most extraordinary and interesting life." --Jane E. Brody, Personal Health Columnist, The New York Times

"Sandra Benitez's story is not only about a bag lady; it is a tale of an extraordinary woman, her life, her soul and her family. Its honesty and its emotion make it a text on how to enjoy life. She displays the courage and the determination of someone we would love to say, 'I know her.' A must read for anyone and everyone." -- Pedro "Joe" Greer, M.D. Gastroenterology, founder of Miami's Camillus Health Center

"Sandra Benitez's story is not only about a bag lady; it is a tale of an extraordinary woman, her life, her soul and her family. Its honesty and its emotion make it a text on how to enjoy life. She displays the courage and the determination of someone we would love to say, 'I know her.' A must read for anyone and everyone." --Pedro "Joe" Greer, M.D. Gastroenterology, founder of Miami's Camillus Health Center

"When I was finished, when I was explaining the end of the story to my husband (I had been keeping him abreast as I went along), I was so moved by all you had gone through, that I just broke down crying. You have given a wonderful gift to us all." -- Judy Schultz, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN

"When I was finished, when I was explaining the end of the story to my husband (I had been keeping him abreast as I went along), I was so moved by all you had gone through, that I just broke down crying. You have given a wonderful to us all." --Judy Schultz, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN

From the Publisher
bag lady . . . is the poignant true story of a woman's struggle with the chronic, debilitating disease of ulcerative colitis. It chronicles how she coped with it before and after making the momentous decision to have an ileostomy and commit to wearing a plastic bag on her stomach for the rest of her life.

bag lady . . . runs deep. It is more than the story of a woman and her disease. It is the story of a life buffeted by adversity, by a mind-boggling series of profound downers, any one of which would defeat most of us. It is a metaphor for the physical and emotional "baggage" that encumbers every person's life. It reads like page-turning fiction, but it is all true.

bag lady . . . speaks to the millions of victims of ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and colon cancer, and to the family and friends who live their illnesses with them. It trades frankness and understanding for the euphemisms and misconceptions of diseases that, for too long, have been consigned to the shadows of polite discussion.

bag lady . . . an antidote to fear.

The doctor's words to the IBD patient are chosen carefully: "Maybe it's time to consider surgery." The rationale and explanation follow. And the patient's tension mounts . . . the apprehension is clearly visible. Doctors see it all the time at this critical moment. Fear of the unknown, of a radically changed life: the wondering: what will become of me after the surgery? How can I possibly cope with this for the rest of my life?

Sandra Benitez confronted that fear and asked those questions. And in bag lady, she answers them. And she does it in a way that can provide understanding and reassurance not only to the tens of thousands who each year make a decision to have, or not have, surgery, but to the millions who live with managed IBD.

In this sense, bag lady is an antidote to fear. As such it is required reading for IBD patients and their families. And it is highly recommended to the doctors, nurses and therapists who provide them with care.

About the Author
Born in Washington, D.C., Sandra Benitez grew up in Mexico and El Salvador. She is the author of four widely acclaimed novels including "A Place Where the Sea Remembers," winner of the Barnes and Noble Discover Award; "Bitter Grounds," winner of an American Book Award; "The Weight of All Things," and Night of the Radishes. Her novels have been published in 10 countries. "Bag Lady: A Memoir," is her first work of non-fiction. You can find detailed information on her life and career at www.sandrabenitez.com

Customer Reviews

For Benitez fans as well as bag people
Yes, much of this book is about the author's battle with ulcerative colitis, her ileostomy, and the bag she now wears. (Pause for a yuck break for those who need it.) But it's also more, it's the memoir of a woman partly, but far from wholly, defined by her gastrointestinal travails. The scenes from her childhood in Mexico and El Salvador are lyrical and provide insight into her writings. The later episodes on alcoholism, substance abuse, and infidelity are choppier and less pleasant, but honest and part of what has made her the writer she is. The twin sister who didn't survive, the broken back, the writing career that almost didn't gain traction, these are part of a writer's true story with too many subplots for a good novel.

If you've loved her novels you should read this book. But be forewarned that the expulsion of human waste is a major theme of the book, and the portrait of the author that emerges is far from saintly. In the end Benitez is more a survivor than a hero, but she comes across as a likable, if flawed, character.

medical biography
A great read for both historical content and illness. This book would be a great resource for people who have IBS, Crohn's, or other gastrointestinal ailments. They are not alone in their concerns and there is life after "the bag".