The Voice In My Head Is Perfect

Lindy Jones’ self-published book, ‘The Voice In My head Is Perfect’, is a brutally honest account of the cruelty inflicted by the incurable illness motor neurone disease (MND), as well as being a celebration of a life well-lived.  All net proceeds from sales of the book are being donated to Motor Neurone Disease Association.

8 March 2013 – Until 2010, Lindy Jones had been a lively, outgoing person, Head of English in two comprehensive schools:  one in North London and the other in Hertfordshire.  A highly popular teacher, she lived life to the full; that is until the summer of 2010 when she first noticed that she was slurring her speech.

Lindy’s book makes it clear from the beginning that battling with a terminal diagnosis of motor neurone disease (MND) is never going to be easy, particularly when, by her own admission, she was a hypochondriac whose oft spoken cry of “I’m not well” had come true in the most traumatic way imaginable.

The diagnosis of Lindy’s illness was a devastating blow to someone who had been so healthy and energetic.  Struggling to cope with the gradual loss of her voice she began to write about her experiences, resulting in her self-published memoir.

With Scrappy her rescue dog by her side, Lindy has written about her experiences living life in the strange new world of a serious illness whilst exploring her previous one as an energetic and highly respected teacher.

MND is a rare, degenerative, terminal illness that can affect any adult at any age, but most people diagnosed with the disease are over 40, with the highest incidence occurring between the ages of 50 and 70.  Men are affected approximately twice as often as women, and the incidence or number of people who develop MND each year is about two people in every 100,000.  MND is a rare, degenerative, terminal illness that can affect any adult at any age, but most people diagnosed with the disease are over 40, with the highest incidence occurring between the ages of 50 and 70.

MND results in the steady decline of the brain’s ability to communicate with muscles in the body, resulting in the gradual loss of bodily functions and usually ending in breathing failure, and in time Lindy might have to communicate through a computer detecting words through her blinking patterns, though it is also a possibility that she may die beforehand; no one can ever predict what will happen with this disease.

Since her diagnosis Lindy has discovered that there is a profound lack of medical understanding of what causes MND and she believes there is little comprehension of the enormity of the challenge ahead in developing better treatments, let alone a cure.  There is currently only one drug for the condition and this only extends lifespan by up to six months.

Lindy feels that what makes things worse for sufferers is the lack of knowledge about the disease and its severity among sufferers.  She also feels a “burning anger” at how MND is largely ignored compared with similar neurological conditions such as MS and Parkinson’s.  Hopefully her book might go some way to addressing this for the long-term benefit of future victims of this devastating illness.

You can buy a copy of Lindy’s book for £8.99, including postage and packaging, via Lindy’s website: http://www.lindyjones.co.uk.  All net proceeds from the sales of ‘The Voice In My Head Is Perfect’ are being donated to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Ends

Media enquiries to:  Heather Lambert

T:  01256 472020     E:  heather@nextstepmarketing.co.uk

About the author

Lindy Jones, formerly Lucas, was born in London and grew up in North Finchley.  She studied at Brighton Teacher Training College and then Sussex University, returning to London in 1978 to begin her teaching career in North West London.

Marriage to Gareth Jones and two sons meant a few years working part-time and at this point in her life she began writing fiction.  As well as being an avid diarist she had also written stories as a child and this interest in creative writing began to emerge more seriously in her thirties.  She became a member of a writing group and finished her first (unpublished) teenage novel.

Back at work full-time her career took off and in her forties she became Head of English.  More unpublished books followed but she continued to write and teach until, in 2010, she was diagnosed with MND.

The Motor Neurone Disease Association is the only national charity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that funds and promotes global research into the disease and provides support for people affected by MND.  It has 3,000 volunteers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 150-plus paid staff, all dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by MND, now and in the future.  For further information on the work of the MND Association visit:  http://www.mndassociation.org.

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