Heroes with a Thousand Faces: True Stories of People with Facial Deformities and Their Quest for Acceptance (Cleveland Clinic Guides)

This title features real stories of people with facial differences - people whose faces are disfigured as a result of cancer, trauma, or a birth defect. Unlike other disabilities, a facial difference not only affects how one is viewed by others but also how one views him or herself, since so much of our "immediate" identity is wrapped up in appearance. This book explores what it's like to try and live an ordinary life behind an extraordinary face. Although there are commonalities in every story, such as stares, and ridicule, each person faces unique challenges and realizes different outcomes. Each journey is an adventure and each person's story leaves the reader with nothing less than a sense of wonder. The stories in this book include viewpoints of not only the people affected by a facial difference, but also their family members. Peppered among these dramatic stories are chapters on medical and scientific advances, the history of facial plastic surgery, and face transplant.