The Flashing Light: A Medical Mystery Memoir keeps you glued to the page trying to figure out what exactly was causing Irving Fox's terrifying symptoms at the young age of 25. This medical "whodunit" brings you inside Irving's inner turmoil and the medical mystery (with simplified explanations of medical jargon) as his doctors catapulted from one diagnosis to another.
Knowing Irving from my work in the Takeda Leadership Academy I could never have guessed that his past contained such a traumatic moment. It is lucky for all of us that he came through the experience and brought his wisdom to help others escape their own diagnostic nightmares.
Deborah Ancona,
Seley Distinguished Professor of Management, MIT Sloan School of Management, and Founder of the MIT Leadership Center.
In The Flashing Light: A Medical Mystery Memoir, Irving Fox explores the mysterious neurological illness that fifty years earlier nearly derailed what would be a brilliant medical career. Building on his years as a teacher of medicine, Fox patiently and clearly explains the tests and treatments he underwent, providing a compelling first-person perspective on both the human and technical aspects of the patient experience. All was accomplished through painstaking reconstruction using his contemporaneous personal journal, hospital records, and interviews with those who witnessed this devastating period in his life. What emerges is an insightful look at what it means to suffer a severe illness for which specific treatments are not available. Most importantly, this book carries the lesson of the importance of hope in the face of even the greatest personal challenges.
David Eidelman,
Vice Principal and Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University
The Flashing Light: A Medical Mystery Memoir is a riveting, true-life story of the
strange and mysterious illness that befell the author Irving Fox during his medical
residency in the 1960s. Dr. Fox tells the story of his journey, now 50 years later, with insight from his medical training and his life experiences.
The onset of mysterious neurological and psychiatric symptoms early in his career and marriage had the potential to significantly upend his trajectory in life. Since that time, Irving has led a successful and distinguished career in academic medicine and in drug development, impacting thousands of patients' lives through his work in developing drugs for neurologic and inflammatory conditions. I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Fox, who mentored me in my career. Reading this book gave me insights into the impact that this early experience had on shaping his life and his commitment to helping patients and developing young people in their careers.
Nancy Simonian, MD, CEO of Syros Pharmaceuticals
