This is a fascinating true story told by Vanessa who suddenly and totally unexpectedly became blind and had numbness in her extremities. At first, her condition was a mystery to the doctors as well and was very frightening to Vanessa and her family. After quite a few tests, the doctors realized that she had Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD), a rare illness that can cause sudden blindness and paralysis. Vanessa explains in detail how her sight disappeared and how it gradually reappeared. The first half of the book is her story of her illness and in the second half she explores the medical condition and what exactly happened to her vision and how vision works.

An admirable woman and an incredible journey. This is a well written memoir that heads more toward thriller than medical research documentary as Potter tracks and works her own disease. She's one determined woman. This is grueling at the start as she loses her sight and struggles with her disease but there's always hope - largely because Potter uses all her resources to figure out what's going on and how to move forward. You wouldn't think this is beach book but it's a wonderful read for those who have an interested in medicine. Thanks to net galley for the ARC, I'd like to see more from Potter, who has a terrific voice I was glad to hear.

An interesting read for fans of medical mysteries,

This is an incredible book - part medical memoir, part scientific investigation. In the first half of the novel Potter describes a deeply personal and traumatic illness, starting with flu like symptoms and leading to near total sight loss. She reflects on what this was like for her and for her young family and friends, using notes she made at the time.
Potter is a highly intelligent woman and so is keen to better understand the science of what happened to her. The second half of the novel presents her discoveries - interviews with all kinds of doctor and her efforts to turn this knowledge into an exhibition to better explain her experience.
I have really fallen in love with these medical memoirs recently. Stories such as hers are as fascinating as they are horrifying. Thank you to Vanessa for sharing her experiences and thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

This book was an interesting and personal account of a devastating event in which the author becomes blind for an extended but somewhat temporary period of time, as well as losing feeling in her hands and feet. The situation was harrowing, and the author displays incredible courage and strength. The sequence of events was detailed and engaging. The second half of the book, regarding research into NMO, was less interesting to me, and I did skip through some of that last 40%. Overall, this glimpse into a rare condition was thought-provoking. How insensitive some people can be without thinking about it gives me something to try to avoid in my interactions with others. Maybe if I had read it at a different time or situation in my life, I would have given it a higher rating, but it can only say it was ok for now.