Lifeliner is the inspiring true story of Judy Taylor, the first person to live for more than twenty years on intravenous nutrition, without eating again.
Thirty-four-year-old Judy Taylor relished her simple, happy life. She had a loving husband, three young daughters, and a beautiful home. But after intestinal blood clots annihilated her digestive system, Judy was left with the certainty of starving to death in a cold Toronto hospital.
The year was 1970, and most doctors still considered long-term intravenous feeding to be science fiction. As a last resort, Judy’s surgeons turned to a radical young immigrant doctor who had performed groundbreaking research on artificial feeding methods for humans. Together, Judy and Dr. Khursheed Jeejeebhoy agreed that Judy’s only hope was to become a human test subject. For the next twenty years, Judy and Dr. “Jeej” worked to develop and hone the medical procedures for Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), which became the basis for modern intravenous feeding.
With courage and determination, Judy raised her family and led a fulfilling life despite being the subject of experimental medicine. Lifeliner tells her inspiring true story and intimately reveals the miraculous link between science and the resilience of the human spirit.
Excerpt
Judy looks dreadful to Laura's trained eye. She's huge. Substances pour out of her everywhere. Laura hops from one spot to another, mopping up the spillage with fresh dressings. As she dries one part of Judy's body, a leak springs forth from another, and she rushes to wipe it up. She runs out of dressings and leaves to fetch new ones. She hurries back into the room, but the bed is empty.
"Oh, my gracious, where is she? What's happened?" Questions tumble out of her and echo in the empty room as she looks frantically this way and that in vain.
"Laura."
Laura stops. She cranes her head up. Looking down at her from the loft over part of the room is Judy. She's sitting on the loft's edge, her smile filling the room with light. She's radiant. She wears no glasses. No tubes come out of her. Her skin shines. Her eyes sparkle. Her hair bounces with vitality, and it gleams in the light.
She is absolutely healthy. Laura cannot speak.
"I'm fine."
Laura wakes up with a smile. The pre-dawn hours of early-March darkness blanket the room. But she sees only the glow of Judy's perfect healing.
Professional Reviews
This unforgettable story is a must read. By Gloria Oren
"This is my third date with the knife," she jokes as she sees the surgical resident come in to prep her on the afternoon of October 21. "You ought to put a zipper in. It'd be much easier to unzip me when you want to play with my innards."
Lifeliner is the amazing, unforgettable story of a young woman who becomes seriously ill at a young age and with the devoted care of her gastroenterologist survives for over twenty years.
Judy Taylor was a woman of great courage and a natural fighter. She was also the first patient ever to be treated with in-home alternative feeding techniques and the first such patient to survive the longest. Lifeliner is Judy's story, but it is also the story of her devoted gastroenterologist, Dr. Jeejeebhoy, who improved upon early records of alterative feeding methods and created the Total Parenteral Nutrition system (TPN) and it's portable versions for home care. For this Dr. Jeejeebhoy was dubbed "King of TPN".
Judy, trained in nursing, married with three young daughters was put on a new birth control pill in 1966 which caused the development of intestinal blood clots. These clots eventually led to the loss of her digestive system. Until then, this situation meant starvation and death, but with Dr Jeejeebhoy overseeing her care Judy became his test subject and survived long enough to be able to return home with a brand new home method of alternative feeding. Using this system Judy survived for over twenty years. For Judy this meant being a mother to her daughters, a wife to her husband and the opportunity to live life as she wanted.
Jeejeebhoy, the doctor's daughter met Judy when her father was invited to a BBQ at Judy's home and was asked to bring his family. Knowing Judy personally enabled the author to contact people Judy knew and to produce a story that will live on for a very long time.
Jeejeebhoy's style of writing sets the right pace as we follow Judy's medical difficulties. If you like reading about medical developments and down-to-earth humanitarian doctors and the relationships that develop between them and their patients, than this book is for you. It is truly a fascinating and eye-opening story which was well written.
What I found especially entertaining was the nicknames Judy came up with for her devoted doctor -- Dr. Cowboy and Dr. JeeJee which she later shortened to Dr. Jeej. A very ill woman indeed but her sense of humor shines out throughout her ordeal. This is a must read for anyone suffering from a similar condition as well as any terminal illness that might require alternative feeding such as AIDS, some cancers, etc. If you want a book you can't put down, get Lifeliner into your hands, you're in for a wild ride with one awesome woman and the genius of a devoted doctor.
An inspiring biography. By Paige Lovitt for Reader Views
"Lifeliner" tells the courageous story of Judy Taylor and her battle to survive after an illness forces the removal of most of her digestive system. Her illness began when she was approaching her mid-thirties. She and her husband were enjoying a good life while raising their three daughters in Toronto. When her illness strikes, Judy is introduced to Dr. Khursheed Jeejeebhoy. Dr. Jeejeebhoy is able to save Judy's life by developing an artificial feeding program called Total Parental Nutrition which is referred to as TPN. "Lifeliner" is written by the doctor's daughter.
Judy was one of Dr. Jeejeebhoy's early patients; therefore, a lot of his success was based upon trial and error. For over twenty years they worked together. In enduring the trials, Judy had to undergo some painful and debilitating experiences. However, without these efforts, she would not have survived. Judy's husband provided her with a tremendous amount of love and support. It seemed like their special connection helped to give her the strength to get through the really rough packages. A side effect of this ordeal was how her illness affected her relationship with her children. It was very difficult for them to have to live with knowing that they could lose their mother at any time. This seriously affected them into their adulthood.
Having been a pharmacy technician, in my younger days, at two hospitals on both coasts, I really appreciated learning the history of TPNs and about the amount of dedication and perseverance that led to their development. I knew that they were to help keep people alive, but did not fully understand their significance until I read "Lifeliner." The amount of time that it took pharmacists to make them in the 1980s to 1990s was nothing in comparison to the amount of time to put them together as they were being developed. This story is a must read for doctors, pharmacists and nurses.
Judy's story in "Lifeliner" really touched my heart. Instead of giving up and allowing herself to succumb, Judy stuck it out. She did the best that she could to take care of her family. She kept her spirit strong and was an inspiration to others who were being introduced to TPNs. When she would go to the hospital for her checkups, she would take the time to go visit these patients and give them hope. Having been able to leave the hospital and take care of her feedings at home, showed them that they could get most of their lives back. Reading Judy's story also inspired me. During her story, she advises a friend not to take life for granted, and to make sure that she takes time to enjoy it. We all need to follow this advice, especially while we still have our health, so that we can be sure to enjoy life to its fullest.
You Must Read This. By C.A. Hoyer
Shireen Jeejeebhoy has written an extraordinary account of Judy Taylor and her fight for life starting in the 1970's when medical science was not as it is today. Ms. Jeejeebhoy is the daughter of Khursheed Jeejeebhoy who through trial and error provided groundbreaking research on long-term artificial feeding for patients who would otherwise die.
Judy Taylor was diagnosed with a life threatening disease at the age of thirty-four. She could not eat life normal people could eat and without eating she would die. Most physicians and specialists she saw gave her no hope and recommended to her family that she be allowed to die. Judy would not let that happen-she wanted to live to be with her family and raise her daughters.
When all medical specialists gave up, one man Dr. Khursheed Jeejeebhoy promised Judy he would keep her alive. Through trial and error and imagination he kept the promise.
Ms. Jeejeebhoy's ability to write on such a tough subject amazed me, she was able to show compassion for the patient and family while at the same time provide credit to all the medical personnel that went above and beyond to help this patient. An amazing story about the extraordinary dedication of doctors who were willing to beat all odds, regardless of what others said.
Initially I had some concerns regarding the writing in the earlier chapters, which described in detail Judy's medical complications. There were numerous medical terms that I felt the general public would not understand and it would deter them from finishing this incredible story. However, as one proceeds through the book the author began to explain the medical terms, which made for easier reading and understanding. This would be an excellent book for any family or patient to read who has the possibility of going through artificial long-term feedings.
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