Embracing My scars

This is the extraordinary story of Jerry Morrissey’s journey of hope in the face of adversity. Jerry’s childhood was marred by the trauma of domestic violence at the hands of his birth father. Then in his teenage years, he developed an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) on his face that caused dramatic and life-threatening bleeds.

Because of his disfigurement, Jerry believed he would never find love. Jerry endured a series of extensive surgeries, including one likened to a post-mortem. One surgeon actually described it as ‘killing Jerry’, as his heart and lungs were to be put on a bypass machine while the surgery was taking place. Although Jerry survived, he emerged from surgery blind, unable to drink, eat or speak, and paralysed on his right side. Jerry was trapped in his own body, with only his senses of smell and hearing intact.

At the age of 25, Jerry had to learn how to function all over again. In an incredible turn of events, he found love right there in the hospital in the form of Pat, the nurse who cared for him throughout that time.

'Embracing My Scars' is about hope and resilience, emphasising that our greatest battles are often waged within our minds. It offers a profound insight into Jerry’s experience as he grappled with suicidal thoughts born from the immense pain and psychological suffering he endured. The book thoughtfully illustrates how one can wrestle with such pain, yet ultimately find solace and acceptance in one’s own skin.

Jerry’s wish is that his story may save even one person from taking their own life or guide them from the depths of despair to a place where they can embrace life fully.