Book chronicles resident's battle with virus

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Book chronicles resident's battle with virus

December 29, 2004TRACY SIMMONS Advocate

In 1961 Joanna Wrinkle went through a series of blood transfusions because of complications during childbirth. She never imagined that 20 years later the doctor would tell her she'd been living the past two decades with chronic Hepatitis C.

So began a journey with a disease that would leave her tired, depressed and frustrated when she could only find literature written by doctors, which was not very encouraging.

So the resident wrote a book about it, "My Journey with Hepatitis C," which was distributed to bookstores on Dec. 4. "I started it a good year and a half ago," she said. "I'd start it, then put it aside a number of times. But then I got more involved and decided I better do this while I'm capable of doing it." Two days after the book was released, Wrinkle did a book-signing in her former hometown of 42 years, Muleshoe, where she had been an English teacher for 22 years. She plans to do book signings around the area as well. "I'd written eight or nine education books geared for teachers, but this was the first of this type," Wrinkle said. Because of her previous publishing experience, she knew the ins and outs of dealing with publishers and editors. Wrinkle explained that the purpose of her book was twofold. "First was my desire to get it put on paper to help with the healing process," she said. "And second was for the patients and caretakers." She said she believed writing about the things she's gone through would help her through it, and maybe help others. "I believed it would give me some self-satisfaction," she said. It turned out to be therapeutic - a way to talk about her feelings. She's pleased that people are buying her book because she feels her words can be a tool to help them work through the virus. In her book she talks about the frustrations that accompany the illness, like knowing that only one-third of patients get a new liver. Wrinkle has been on the transplant list for nearly four years. She said that new medications have been created that have the ability to rid the body of the Hepatitis C virus. "There are so many wonderful medications that are available now. It's like signing a death warrant if you don't go to the doctor and get medicine," she said. Wrinkle received an improved treatment for the virus in 1991 and said her body has tried to take the treatment five times since then, but it makes her too sick. "The doctors said the older you get, and the longer you've had it, the less likely it is to take," she said. Wrinkle said that there are many people who have Hepatitis C who are afraid of telling anyone. She hopes her story will be an encouragement to people suffering from a chronic virus.

is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6527 or tsimmons@....

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