No time to die
No time to die
Liz Tilberis, Weidenfeld and Nicholson. £18.99.
This review by Ovacome member Claire Duchen was published in the summer 1999 newsletter.
Liz Tilberis was the New York-based British editor of Vogue. Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1993, she bravely fought the disease until she died a few weeks ago and was probably the person with the highest public profile raising awareness of our 'Cinderella cancer'. The book tells two stories: her life in high fashion and her battle with illness. Tilberis was passionate about fashion all her life. She studied fashion and went to work for British Vogue, eventually becoming its editor, until taking the Harper's Bazaar job in the early 1990s and moving to New York. The story of her childhood, youth, family and career is easy to read, although peppered with names from the fashion world, and repeated references to Calvin, Donna, Gianni et al. become a little tedious for readers who don't care about fashion as she does. She was also friendly with the Princess of Wales and this friendship is duly sentimentalised. In spite of this, a pleasant, lively, enthusiastic and determined personality emerges.
More interesting is the tale of her cancer. She went through the horribly familiar stages of treatment and rollercoaster of emotions; she heard the dreaded words 'it's back' and found a way of adjusting her life to her situation, dealing with cancer as a chronic condition. Her bouts of chemotherapy made me wonder about differences in management between the UK and the USA, and inequality of access to the best care. Not everyone can tap into the resources Tilberis has at her disposal. While cancer is no respector of fame and wealth, money and connections undoubtedly give you a head start in getting the best care.
Tilberis was convinced - although in the absence of firm evidence - that fertility treatment 20 years previously caused her cancer. This is not a connection that we hear much about in the UK. She provides clear information about the disease and its status among cancers and quotes one doctor who argues (against the majority) in favour of general screening, explaining the lack of funding for ovarian cancer by saying 'people who get breast cancer live to lobby and people with ovarian cancer don't' (p252). Very sobering.
Tilberis describes her status in terms of the ad for a Timex watch ('takes a licking and keeps on ticking'). Her CA125 rises, she has chemo; it falls and she carries on with her hectic life. It happens again and she does it again. She has had her tumour tissue tested against 70 or 80 types of drug and knows which ones will be effective against it (why can't we all have this done?).
Liz recently lost the battle with her illness, and this book is testament to her inspirational courage.
