In the summer of 1974, Jill Sauceman, a native of Hiltons, Virginia, went to a small medical clinic in Nickelsville, Virginia, for a physical in preparation for entering the nursing program at East Tennessee State University. The doctor there noticed a problem with her kidney function, did further tests, and diagnosed her with lupus nephritis. For forty years she fought through flare-ups of the disease until she was finally able to receive a kidney transplant. This is not only a story of overcoming physical challenges and the importance of organ donations, it is also a love story. In 1978 she met Fred Sauceman. Against the advice of many, they married, a decision that neither has regretted. “This glorious memoir chronicles Jill's shocking diagnosis of lupus in her youth, and how she copes with an uncertain future. Fred Sauceman, her white knight with a spatula, enters a disco and her life is never the same. The third partner in their vibrant, loving, and complex marriage is Jill's lupus. The coauthors meet the beast head-on, without compromise.” --Adriana Trigiani. Jill Sauceman’s husband and co-author has written and edited seven books on Appalachia, particularly its foodways. He is a native of Greeneville, Tennessee, and a professor at East Tennessee State University.
Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 2018. 148 pages with a Foreword by Adriana Trigiani, an Index, appendices, illustrations, and photos. Trade paperback