Throughout her struggle, Lucy finds solace in fantasies and in spending time with horses, creatures she values for their nobility and the fact that they do not judge her by her appearance. However, several operations are unsuccessful and Lucy becomes convinced that she will never know love. She keeps hoping that facial reconstruction surgery will “fix” her appearance and that this will, in turn, “fix” her life. The effects of this treatment worsen as Lucy grows older and becomes more convinced of her supposed ugliness. Gradually, the taunts begin to affect her, making her self-conscious and anxious about her appearance, something she had not considered before being exposed to the cruelty of other children. Unsure how else to support her daughter, Lucy’s mother repeatedly encourages her to be brave and not cry during these unpleasant treatments and often chastises her when she does weep, leading Lucy to begin suppressing her emotions and masking her pain and fear, in order to win her mother’s approval and love.Īt school, Lucy is regularly teased and bullied for her disfigured face and the baldness caused by her chemotherapy treatment. She undergoes an operation to remove half of her jaw, which is followed by two-and-a-half years of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. The subsequent toothache leads her to seek medical assistance and doctors discover that she has Ewing’s sarcoma, a form of cancer with a 5% survival rate. At the age of 9, Lucy collides with a classmate during a game of dodgeball.
0 kommentar(er)
