The Altered Eye by Jean Small Dean

About the book

I have written a true story about how I overcame terror, pain, adversity, and death. I was born with a heart defect when there was no surgery available. In 1959 when an operation was possible and after extensive tests, a world-renowned surgeon said the operation would kill me because of the changes in my lungs over the years. He said that an operation would never be possible to close the hole in my heart. In a letter to my doctor he stated that I was in the "twilight of her life." I refused to accept that death sentence and began a journey to heal my body--physically, mentally, and spiritually. I relate in detail the methods I used to rise from the depths of hell to lead a productive life as an artist.

Tragedy arrived in many forms in my life with a therapeutic abortion, caring for a mother with Alzheimer's disease, and several near-death experiences of my own. But with the help of a wise and strong grandmother and a loving husband, I fought the monsters that almost destroyed me. And I won.

However, my story is not one of mere survival. It is also narrative of a vibrant life filled with courage, love, adventure, artistic achievement, and, of course, the sorrows and dangers imposed by physical limitations. My hope is that my book will be an uplifting inspiration and exciting expedition for those who need encouragement and strength in times of tragic drama.

My story ends with a letter to my deceased grandmother on her 112th birthday. I tell her about my inner journey and about my healed heart.

About the author

Jean Dean is an acclaimed artist with over 100 awards for her work. She has a painting in the Hirshhorn museum and was selected to exhibit her work in an All-Florida Exhibit in the US Embassy in Madrid, Spain.

She has had over thirty One-Woman shows and has been included in exhibitions in San Francisco, New York City, San Diego, San Antonio, and in major cities throughout Florida.

Her paintings and poetry were published in Phoebus Magazine. She has written art critiques and columns for various newspapers in Florida and Maine.

She was educated at Becker College, Worcester, Massachusetts, and Edison College, Fort Myers, Florida. She also has had extensive studies with a literary professor from the University of California, Berkeley, and Mills College, Oakland, California.

Her honors include Celebrated Woman in the Arts, Florida, and a nominee for Florida's Hall of Fame. She is listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World (Marquis Publishing).

After being told that she was in the twilight of her life when she was thirty-one, she just celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary with her husband, Sam. They live in Florida in the winter and Maine in the summer.