When Kathy Torpie got into her car ten years ago to drive home to Muriwai and glanced in the mirror before she put the key in the ignition, she had no way of knowing that this would be the last time she would ever see herself again. When she was hit head on later that evening by a drunk driver the injuries didn't blind her - instead every bone in her face was shattered. Not broken so they could be pinned and stapled back together - but shattered so that her facial bones had to be replaced with bone grafts, plastic and titanium plates. The result was an entirely new face the next time she looked in the mirror. The face of a stranger. Losing Face tells of her extraordinary physical and emotional journey over the past eight years, which led her to the depths of depression and beyond - as she struggled to regain her face and her sense of self. A strong active and fiercely independent woman found herself physically vulnerable and reliant on others. Losing Face is a searing tale of her battle for her rights as a patient, and her fight to regain her identity and self-esteem, reminiscent of Autobiography of a Face, by Lucy Grealy, as written about in Truth and Beauty by Anne Patchett.

Author Biography

Kathy Torpie lives in Auckland, New Zealand where she has worked as a psychologist, freelance journalist, and magazine columnist. This is her first book. She is eager to discover what other opportunities life has in store for her.