Your face, and your life, has been radically altered. Accident, military injury, medical condition...the result is the same. You are now having to confront the world with a "different" face, and understandably this has wrecked your self-image and undermined your confidence, leaving you with a thousand questions and concerns including:
- What should I do when people stare at me?
- What are my medical options?
- Wouldn't it be easier if I just stayed home and didn't go anywhere?
- And most significantly, How will this physical change affect current and future relationships?
- Will anyone ever be able to love me?
In Facial Shift, author Dawn Shaw addresses those questions and more. Dawn was born with a rare tumor, the removal of which left her face half-paralyzed. She has lived her entire life, nearly half a century, with a different face, yet has been able to lead a happy and productive life. She doesn't allow her different face to stop her from interacting with the world, and joins the visible likes of Lizzie Velazquez, whose rare condition which doesn't allow her to retain body fat once earned her the title of "ugliest woman on the internet," and severely burned Iraq war veteran turned actor/author/speaker JR Martinez, in overcoming their physical differences and who work instead to influence the world in a positive way. Lizzie became a best-selling author and motivational speaker, starring in her own documentary in 2015. JR acted in All My Children, won Dancing with the Stars in 2011, and penned a best-selling memoir.
While not quite as high-profile, Dawn's successes include becoming an award-winning video editor, earning international certification as an Icelandic horse trainer, hosting an online webinar series addressing appearance-related issues called Friending the Mirror, and sharing her universal message of resilience and embracing differences with groups of varying ages as a professional motivational speaker. Dawn has also been in a happy marriage for twenty years and counting.
Yes, there will be challenges and emotional pain to endure. However, there can also be triumph, joy and love. This book will help you:
- Evaluate your own feelings about your change.
- Understand the reactions of others.
- Avoid social isolation.
- Gain confidence that romance is possible.
- Take control of your life so you can move forward.
Facial Shift is about integrating your life before and after, and is a helpful guide to navigating the world with a facial difference. You can count on it as a source of hope, validation and reassurance, as well as a link to a vibrant community of people who can share experiences and tips for dealing with the common challenges associated with surviving, and thriving in the world with a changed countenance.
Industry Reviews
"Facial Shift should be in the hands of anyone who has to deal with 'adult onset' facial difference. It's strengths are many. Dawn Shaw draws effectively upon her own experience of facial difference. She does not write from a pulpit, she encourages. Shaw has done excellent research, but not to the point of swamping the reader with data. Her point of view is empathetic but matter of fact. She does an excellent job of synthesizing the insights and work of other members of the facial difference community, which not only recognizes but validates the years of work of organizations like About Face and Changing Faces. And finally, it is to the point and concisely written-important for someone with an attention span like mine."
David Roche
LoveAtSecondSight.org
www.davidroche.com
"Dawn Shaw has produced another powerful guide for people with unusual-looking faces full of well-told anecdotes about her experience and other role models and much persuasive and valuable advice that is both empathetic and encouraging to positive thinking and living."
James Partridge
CEO Changing Faces
www.changingfaces.org.uk
"It was such an honour to read Dawn Shaw's book Facial Shift! I felt inspired as it affirmed so many of my own personal beliefs. Dawn has such a gentle, yet wise and intuitive style that makes her reader feel at ease, comforted and embraced. Her personal journey provides such insight into some difficult and painful memories, yet she doesn't shy away from laying out real-life struggles that most people endure, regardless if they have a facial difference or not. I love how Dawn is able to bring genuine examples from her story as well as the stories of others and unpack the key 'nuggets' of teaching moments. Only serious, thoughtful and authentic reflection can bring a person to such resolutions. She offers a variety of practical, honest and comprehensive strategies and observations which are so reassuring for those who may be stuck in a quagmire of emotional barriers. Dawn's writing is brilliantly insightful; her kind and truthful demeanor is refreshing; and her guidance is both encouraging and empowering."
Anna Pileggi
Executive Director, AboutFace
www.aboutface.ca
"No one better understands what it is like to live with a facial difference and to triumph over adversity than Dawn Shaw. Facial Shift is a welcome book aimed at helping adults with acquired facial difference meet challenges they never expected. It offers excellent advice on dealing with issues like accepting your new face and developing coping mechanisms. She offers hope where there is fear, demonstrating how she was able to deal with her own bad experiences to improve her confidence, find love and live a full and active life. This is an excellent guide to turning what is a huge negative into a positive, and is written in an engaging style. Warmly recommended."
Tom Hickey
Blogger on facial difference
hickeysworld.com
"One of the main aspects I focus on with my advocacy in facial difference is how important it is to redefine beauty. We are all different and teaching our children about the importance of diversity inclusion is important to economies. Dawn writes to empower individuals who are living with the stigma of being visibly different. She also educates the public to altar the misperception of "disabilities". Dawn's commitment to this cause has been inspiring to many around the world and this book is another valuable contribution to the limited resources we have that will reshape our world for the better."
Vanessa Carter
Facial Difference and Health Innovation Activist, South Africa
www.hcsmsa.co.za; FaceSA Project on Twitter @_FaceSA
