Model Patient: My Life As an Incurable Wise-Ass

By Karen Duffy

From Revlon spokesmodel to film actress to one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People," Karen Duffy was living the life most of us only dream of. Then her whirlwind life of celebrity parties came to an abrupt, grinding halt when she was stricken with a serious illness in one of its rarest forms: sarcoidosis of the central nervous system.

Duffy soon realized that the only way for her to survive was not to take the disease too seriously. Instead of hiding from life, she chose to run toward it. She learned to embrace the chaos of a life-threatening disease with a wit and humor that helped her to find the love of her life at a time when things seemed darkest.

Model Patient is a gripping, inspiring, and hilarious memoir that recounts the singular triumphs and tragedies of coping with a chronic, life-threatening disease.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 13, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061748141

Karen Duffy

Karen Duffy continues to model for Revlon, tour the country as a women's health advocate, and report for Michael Moore's new show, The Awful Truth. She lives with her husband in New York City.

Reviews for Model Patient

[susan.macura · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Karen Duffy had it all - great career, lots of friends, an active social life and a bright future. Then cancer hit, and not the easily curable kinds. Duffy decided to embrace her new reality, treating cancer with humor, finding love along the way. Hers is a story of hope and strength despite the odds.