East Coastsentinel

UNITED KINGDOM – Detailing a very unique life story, “The Needle and The Damage Done” takes readers on the rollercoaster ride that has been award-winning Dr Patrick Treacy’s life.  Charting the challenges of growing up in rural Northern Ireland amidst the Troubles everything changed, when as a young doctor, he was accidentally jabbed with a needle from an HIV patient. In those days before there was any known treatment, he got a medical friend to cut a part out of his leg, and this probably saved his life as he never caught the disease. Reinventing himself to eventually be voted “The Top Doctor in the World” in the field of aesthetic medicine, this memoir is all about resilience and embracing life.

Growing up, we all dream of how our lives are going to pan out. Dr Patrick Treacy, however, could never have second guessed to what extent his world was going to change.

From growing up in a rural Northern Ireland blighted by The Troubles, to becoming a world-renowned authority on aesthetic medicine and Botox, the author’s story is guaranteed to enthral from the get-go.

With his easy flowing writing style, this page-turning memoir bursts with the author’s resilience, determination and ability to reinvent himself, even after the life-changing accident to which the title of his memoire alludes.

Impossible not to be impressed by this award-winning doctor’s determination to eke the most out of life, The Needle and the Damage Done is poignant, edifying and hugely entertaining.  As one of the best biographies to be published in a very long time, readers will also be delighted to learn that a screenplay of Dr Treacy’s story is currently in the pipeline.

Synopsis:

The Needle and the Damage Done is the story of a boy from a small Irish village who became an adventurer, multi-award-winning doctor and physician to the stars. Part travelogue, part thriller, part celebrity tell-all, the memoir is a whirlwind of adventure and a fascinating insight into the colourful life of Dr Patrick Treacy. Cosmetic doctor Patrick Treacy grew up in rural Northern Ireland during The Troubles.

Determined to become a doctor, he raised money for medical school in Dublin by smuggling cars from Germany to Turkey. He initially studied biochemistry at Queen’s University Belfast and when the Troubles in Northern Ireland came too close to home, he transferred to do medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin. While working in a hospital there he was accidentally jabbed with a needle from an HIV patient. He took blood test after blood test for many years until he was confirmed negative. Initially overwhelmed by the experience, he moved to New Zealand, away from everyone who knew what he was going through: his girlfriend and his colleagues. Thus, he began a peripatetic existence, working as a doctor around the world. In Saddam Hussein’s Baghdad, Treacy was arrested and imprisoned, spending days wondering whether he was going to be hanged as a spy. He worked as a ships surgeon in California and with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Australia.

On returning to Dublin, Treacy set up the Ailesbury Clinic where he pioneered the emergent field of cosmetic dermatology, championing treatments regarding the use of botulinum toxin and dermal fillers. His award-winning research brought him numerous international accolades and many celebrity patients, including the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson, who came flocking to his door. Central to this memoir is Treacy’s personal journey: his efforts to escape the conflict of The Troubles, coping with the fear that he may have contracted HIV, getting over his lost love and surviving the crippling Irish recession. Most of all, it gives us a fascinating insight into his award-winning research on aesthetically restoring the faces of HIV lipodystrophy patients and how he developed solutions now used globally to reverse the damage being done to patients’ faces as a result of the complications of dermal fillers being accidently injected into blood vessels.

Garnering five-star reviews, Amazon readers say:

“Another absolutely brilliant book by Dr Treacy. I could not put it down ! What a fascinating life Dr Treacy has lived. Between his humanitarian work, breakthrough research & mischief, this book will keep you wanting more and more. Definitely 5 stars from me. Well written Dr. Patrick Treacy.” – Sabrina

“Patrick Treacy is a gifted writer capturing many themes beautifully within his book. Anyone who has grown up in rural or small town in Ireland will relate to his account of life growing up here. This book takes the reader on fascinating adventures around the world, on the writer’s personal journey of resilience in the face of challenges and also gives insights into medical innovations in ways that are easily understood for those of us without a medical background. Patrick’s story inspires a sense of excitement about life’s possibilities & reflects the boundless potential that lies within all of us when we are willing to embrace it.” – Jen MacCarron

“I just finished reading this book and would like to congratulate the author, Dr Patrick Treacy, on a publication that offers a nice mix of medical information as well as episodes from everyday life during his extensive travels. Amazing how much a person can achieve in a lifetime.” – Bedford Spur

“When we think of doctors, we think of those that systemically dispense penicillin and offer trite advice—not Patrick Treacy! From quiet beginnings in pre-Troubles Northern Ireland, Dr Treacy has truly experienced the world, and, in this book, he elucidates these novel experiences. These vignettes take us from cruise ship to Saddam’s Kurdistan—with a terrifying health scare in between. I don’t find medicine particularly interesting, but Dr Treacy’s lucid and engaging prose gives one pause. The world is full of strangeness and uncertainty, and it can take you from the family garage in Garrison, Fermanagh, to Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. These are not just the tales of a doctor—they are the tales of a man who has truly experienced life. I just hope he writes another memoir—I shall be waiting!” – James McNamee

Published by Austin Macauley Publishers, The Needle and The Damage Done (ISBN No: 978-1528977302) is available in paperback (£19.25)  – https://bit.ly/3py5lUW  and audiobook (free with Audible membership) – https://bit.ly/430pCjN  Prologue and Introduction: Chapter 1: https://youtu.be/_Ty2kE9tOkc

About the author:

Dr Treacy was awarded the Top Aesthetic Practitioner in the World 2019 at the MyFaceMyBody Global Awards (Las Vegas). He won the Doctor of the Year Ireland 2023 (Cork) and UK & Ireland 2019 (London). He is recognised as one of the most influential aesthetic practitioners in the world being amongst a few doctors in the world to have won the coveted  AMEC Trophy three times. He was given the PAADS Award (Karachi 2023), the AIDA Trophy (Abu Dhabi 2019), the MyFaceMyBody Award (London 2018), the  Azerbaijani College of Medicine Trophy (Baku 2017),  the Irish Healthcare Award for Medical Research (Dublin 2017) and the CCME Medal (Mexico 2016) for research contributions to Aesthetic Medicine. Dr Treacy is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (London). He has featured on CNN, Dr Drew, RTÉ, TV3, Sky News, BBC, and Newsweek.

Media Contact
Company Name: Patrick Treacy
Contact Person: Media Manager
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Country: United Kingdom
Website: https://bit.ly/3py5lUW