The Writing on the Wall

Regina Holliday takes readers on an odyssey of abuse and empowerment in her memoir The Writing on the Wall. She recounts bright moments from her childhood with an innocent wonder that contrasts painfully with her years of abuse at the hands of an alcoholic father. Her determination to take a stand against injustice was formed at an early age. It served her well as an adult when she became the caregiver of her husband Frederick Allen Holliday II. He was hospitalized for tests in the spring of 2009. They began an eleven-week journey through five facilities in an attempt to get appropriate treatment for his advanced kidney cancer. After watching Fred suffer poor care coordination, a lack of access to data, and a series of medical errors, Regina was determined she would try to improve care for her husband as well as all the other patients who were abused in this way. She painted a series of murals to reform health care standards and became part of the national health care reform debate.