Experiencing debilitating and inexplicable symptoms that threaten to leave her bedridden, Lucy Weston visits a psychologist at the urging of doctors who suspect she may be mentally ill.
A VOICE IN THE DARK
Lost in the many re-tellings of Dracula is the story of a once vibrant young woman slowly sinking into an inexplicable death spiral, beyond the reach of medical science. Those who love her each have a piece of the puzzle, but miscommunication and the unwillingness to believe in things that exist outside the boundaries of the ordinary blind them to the truth of her suffering.
It got me thinking of the hell that lurks at the crossroads of chronic illness, femininity, and the American health care system. The maddening loneliness of having doctors who don’t listen, loved ones who don’t understand, and “helpful” strangers cluelessly suggesting fad diets and snake oils. The quiet, brooding fury of living in a world that begrudges what few accommodations it grants you, when it notices you at all.
Well. Lucy Weston has a story to tell. I think it’s time to listen.