Blessed: My Battle with Brain Disease

At age 16, Mary Jane Mc fadden doubled up in pain so severe that she promised God that if she survived, she would become a nun. So attuned to her was her identical twin sister, Lee, that Lee, though out of view and sound of Mary Jane, knew immediately that something was wrong and ran to her sister.
When she was released from the hospital, Mary kept her promise to God and entered the Convent of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, later taking her final vows as Sister Leah (as close as she could come to "lee") Patrice. But, her undefined illness followed her into the convent. Her superiors did everything they could do help her find a diagnosis, giving her medication and sending her to doctors. One after another they all told her either that she had the flu or that it was all in her head.
As she stood in one doctor's examining room he startled her by saying, "You need Ses! That would solve your whole problem." Feeling humiliated and vulnerable, Mary believed him when he went on to tell her that her problem was all in her head and she was going to end up in a mental institution.
Finally, Mary was forced to leave the convent. Her parents picked her up and she went home to live and to use the skills she had learned to teach in her local parochial school.
Eventually, Mary met Bob and the two fell hopelessly in love, married and went on a fairy tale honeymoon throughout Europe. But, her illness followed her. It intruded on the wedding rehersal dinner and during the honeymoon. Told that she would never have children, Mary had three. During her pregnancies, she was urged to abort because the medical people said they would not be normal. All three are not only normal, but could easily be described as over-achievers!
Finally, going to her sister, Lee's, gynocologist, Mary mentioned that they were identical twins. Her features had changed so much, due to her illness, that she then looked nothing like her sister. This was the clue the doctor needed to diagnosis her as having acromegaly, a pituitary tumor.
The tumor is not fatal, but it is also not curable and Mary will always suffer from allergies, dental problems and other related difficulties; however, just knowing what has caused her so much pain and suffering, just putting a name to it has been a tremendous relief for her.
Mary calls the book a love story. It is her love story with Bob, with her children and with her God. She tells in loving detail what this disease has cost her from the first attack, through her out-of-body experience when she was pronounced dead through the excruciating treatments to which she was subjected in the medical professions attempts to diagnose her disease. She tells of the love between her and her husband who stood with her throughout the years and the love she has for her grown talented children. In addition, Mary describes the symptoms and includes glossary to help others who might be suffering from the same disease and be experiencing finding a diagnosis.