The Flashing Light

In the fall of 1968, Dr. Irving Fox was twenty-four years old, happily married, and living the heady and intense life of a medical resident in a Montreal hospital. His future was bright and promising...that is, until a pulsating blue light appeared in front of his eyes. It was the beginning of a terrifying three-month ordeal of mysterious physical and psychiatric symptoms that baffled him and his doctors. Fox was hospitalized in two facilities, including a psychiatric hospital, and endured a battery of painful tests, medications with mind-numbing side effects, and the uncertainty of diagnosis and outcome. Sick, vulnerable, and helpless, he wondered if he'd ever be able to practice medicine again.

Fast forward fifty years. Compelled to understand the bizarre symptoms that had once threatened to derail his career and upend his family, Fox embarked on a quest to unearth decades-old medical records and uncover the full details of his illness, treatment, and recovery. In The Flashing Light: A Medical Mystery Memoir, he takes us on an intriguing journey to rediscover his past. Through the lens of his present medical expertise and experience, Fox examines the events that transpired and how they shaped his younger self.

Life is fragile, and no matter how strong and vital you feel at the moment, the tables can turn in an instant. Fox's inspiring story reminds us that every day is a gift.