THE YEAR MY HEAD EXPLODED
A memoir about silence, survival, and reclaiming the life that was always yours.
The Year My Head Exploded feels, in a way, like gathering almost twenty-five years of life and holding them in one place. Writing this memoir meant looking back through the silence, connecting scattered pieces, and finally understanding my own story a little more clearly.
What began decades ago as small updates for my parents slowly became something much bigger: a map for survival, healing, and reclamation.
From Journal to Memoir
— Marie-Claire McKelvey
« Planer à deux » (2021) © by Jennifer Larocque.
Used with permission.
THE YEAR MY HEAD EXPLODED
How Do You Find Your Footing When the World Goes Completely Quiet?
When she was seventeen, Marie-Claire McKelvey's life shifted in an instant. A sudden diagnosis of Neurofibromatosis Type 2 slowly brought her into total deafness, transforming her overnight from an average teenager into a patient navigating a cold, rigid medical system.
For over two decades, she survived in the gray spaces: managing a silent physical world, weathering the invisible storms of bipolar disorder, and masking her struggles behind the routine of a 9-to-5 government job. To the outside world, she was adapting. Inside, she was fighting to remain visible.
« Planer à deux » (2021) © by Jennifer Larocque.
Used with permission.
THE YEAR MY HEAD EXPLODED
But The Year My Head Exploded is not a tragedy. It is a fiercely honest, deeply moving blueprint for reclaiming autonomy. Anchored by the grounding love of a fiercely supportive husband and the chaotic, beautiful joy of raising a toddler, Marie-Claire transforms her profound lived experience into a professional calling—stepping out from behind the patient's curtain to study for her Master's with the dream of becoming a social worker.
Witty, raw, and unvarnished, this memoir is a triumphant reminder that a complicated life can still be a magnificent one. It is a lighthouse for anyone navigating their own dark waters, and proof that we never have to weather the storm alone.
FROM THE READERS
PRAISE FOR THIS BOOK
“ I came away from the manuscript feeling both touched and empowered. What impressed me most was not only everything you endured, but the fighting spirit that runs through every chapter. Again and again, I saw someone who could have accepted the limitations placed in front of her, yet chose to keep moving forward. “
— Jovan N.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Meet Marie-Claire McKelvey
Marie‑Claire McKelvey writes from lived experience, shaping memory into narrative. Her work explores the spaces between what is said and what is felt — identity, transformation, and the quiet weight of personal history. With a background in psychology and ongoing studies in social work, she brings both insight and sensitivity to her writing. This memoir marks her first step into sharing that voice.