Arlene Swirsky

Rediscovering My Inner Bitch: One Woman?s Journey Through Being Diced, Spliced, and Transplanted Arlene Swirsky

Ninety-two thousand people wait for transplants every day, and Arlene C. Swirsky was one of them from November 2001 until September 2003, a decade after she was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease. With a not-all-there elderly mother and a family simply trying to make life work, Swirsky finds herself engulfed by a confusing mixture of anxiety and guilt as she waits for a transplant organ. It isn't easy, and it certainly isn't pretty. As months become years, the waiting turns Swirsky into a new breed of modern woman, one prepared for all eventualities and all possible outcomes. Her inner bitch crawls out of hibernation to guide her-with questionable results, screaming failures, and, on the best of days, mighty miracles. With an unparalleled degree of honesty, humor, and vulnerability, Swirsky explores the gamut of thoughts and feelings that transplant patients cope with every day. Set against the lovely hills of central Massachusetts and the beaches of southern Maine, Rediscovering My Inner Bitch provides an unflinching glimpse into the soul of a woman waiting for someone to die so that she may live.