Shortlisted for the Bord Gαis Energy Irish Book Awards Sunday Independent Best Newcomer of the Year Award for 2011.In Salty Baby, Orla Tinsley tells her remarkable story, one of a dual childhood played out between home and the hospital where she spent large amounts of time as a cystic fibrosis patient. It is the story of a family whose mind over-matter-philosophy instilled a steely determination in Orla from an early age: if you can't do something one way, keep trying until you find another. Here she describes the deep bonds forged with fellow CF-sufferers and the anguish of losing young friends due to inadequate health services. She talks about dealing with multiple surgeries and subsequent body-image issues in her teenage years and of how, upon hearing of better CF-care internationally -- and experiencing its benefits in an Italian hospital -- she made her decision to fight tirelessly for the rights of CF patients in Ireland. She also tells of her ambition to become a writer, and how keeping a journal was a lifeline during the toughest times. Salty Baby is a bravely and honestly recounted personal journey: humorous, philosophical and at times shocking.
