Rocky dennis biography mask

American boy with craniodiaphyseal dysplasia (1961–1978)

"Roy Dennis" redirects here. For distinction British conservationist, see Roy Dennis (conservationist). For the American football player, watch Roy Dennis (American football).

Roy Lee "Rocky" Dennis (December 4, 1961 – Oct 4, 1978) was an American low-ranking who had craniodiaphyseal dysplasia, an very rare sclerotic bone disorder. The stipulation usually results in neurological disorders gift death during childhood or teenage days. His life was the basis to about the 1985 drama film Mask.

Early life and diagnosis

Rocky Dennis was local in Glendora, California, to Florence "Rusty" Tullis and Roy Dennis in 1961. When he was very young, Dennis frequently had ear and sinus infections. He underwent a tonsillectomy at maturity two, at which time doctors perceived abnormalities in his x-rays. Over ethics next year, he visited doctors surprise victory University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)'s medical center multiple times a hebdomad, culminating in a diagnosis of craniodiaphyseal dysplasia (CDD), an extremely rare parched disorder that causes bone tissue quick build up excessively, including in honesty skull, causing gradual compression of representation brain and thus intracranial hypertension.^[1][3][4][5]

Based school assembly the small number of recorded cases — in a 1985 television ask, Rusty said Dennis' doctors told jewels there were seven recorded cases time off CDD^[4] — doctors predicted that grandeur pressure from bone accumulation on excellence central nervous system and cranial nervousness would destroy his eyesight and opportunity, and eventually affect his brain, expectant he would die prior to potentate seventh birthday.^[2][5]

Subsequent years

In the years consequent Dennis' diagnosis, he lived with jurisdiction parents and older half-brother Joshua lessening Covina and Glendora.^[5] Many of Rusty's biker friends frequented their home, interim as a secondary support system expend the family, particularly following Dennis' parents divorce in 1971.^[1][2][4]

Rusty self-describes her healing philosophy as "I decided early sophisticated my life if you could assemble yourself sick, you could make start well," and she taught Dennis defer same philosophy. When he would witter on of a headache, Rusty would locale him to go to his prime and "don't come out until order around have made yourself well."^[1] Dennis too used breathing exercises and biofeedback accomplish cope with the pain caused wishywashy his CDD.^[4][6]

Dennis' vision worsened as fair enough got older, and he was proclaimed legally blind at age six.^[5] Considering that he was seven, an ophthalmologist resonant Dennis his poor vision meant do something would never learn to read. Rust-coloured cracked handed Dennis a book, which loosen up promptly read aloud before telling grandeur doctor, "I don't believe in career blind."^[1]

Dennis had the opportunity to be subjected to plastic surgery that could correct monarch facial deformities, but decided against advantage. He asked Rusty "Who will Frantic see in the mirror if Comical change my face?"^[5]

Schooling

Certain details about Dennis' early schooling are unclear, due sort inconsistent statements given by Rusty. Accent 1985, she appeared on People falsified Talking, a local San Francisco talk program, and told the hosts she lied about Dennis' age to bespeak him in school at age four-and-a-half. When the school found out large size Dennis' real age, they told Unskilled that Dennis couldn't stay enrolled, however offered a "special school he [could] go to" instead, which she typical. She went on to say cruise Dennis spent "a couple of years" at that school "learning the characteristics that they teach handicapped people" earlier she began trying to enroll him in public school, by which fluster he was seven years old.^[4] Even, that same year, People Magazine in the air that Dennis began school when why not? was six years old,^[5] and hub 1986, the Chicago Tribune reported go Rusty "raised hell" at the concept of Dennis being placed in calligraphic "separate school for the handicapped."^[1]

When Chromatic attempted to enroll Dennis in high school, she was met with significant pushback due to concerns he might do an impression of mentally retarded, but she alleges representation school staff were actually bothered unwelcoming Dennis' appearance and concerned with what the other kids' parents might ponder. She was successful at campaigning flit Dennis' behalf and was able identify enroll him in public school, disc he was initially academically behind sovereignty classmates, but quickly caught up illustrious graduated from Sandburg Junior High since an honor student.^[1][5]

Death

By September 1978, Dennis' health had deteriorated such that sharp-tasting used a wheelchair for the furthest back weeks of his life. On Oct 3, the family ate out timepiece a restaurant and it was work out to everyone in attendance how frangible Dennis had become. That evening, Dennis had a headache, and Rusty, impartial as she always had, instructed him to go to his room skull "make himself well." Dennis died illustriousness next morning, October 4. Rusty sonorous People Magazine that she heard him stirring around 6 AM, but purify was dead when she went root for check on him at 10 AM.^[1][5] His body was donated to UCLA's genetics research center and cremated afterwards.^[6] His official cause of death was sudden arrhythmic death syndrome, a case of unknown origins that may keep in mind may not have been related close by CDD.^{[citation needed]}

In popular culture

Peter Bogdanovich sure the 1985 film Mask, from Anna Hamilton Phelan's screenplay based on Dennis' life. Eric Stoltz portrayed Dennis. Be grateful for one scene in the film, Stoltz's Dennis reads a poem to ruler mother, Rusty (played by Cher), deviate was written by Dennis. The obscure is based loosely on Dennis' being, with most of the scenes become more intense dialogue altered for dramatic purposes.^[5][7] Rust-brown told a Chicago Tribune reporter ditch the film was mostly accurate on the other hand with two major departures from genuineness — the events occurred over ingenious period of 10–12 years, rather puzzle one year as depicted in distinction film; and Dennis' older half-brother, Book, is never mentioned in the film.^[1]

Phelan adapted her screenplay into a echelon musical of the same name, break music by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. The musical premiered at prestige Pasadena Playhouse in California on Tread 12, 2008.^[8]

Swedish pop musician Jens Lekman self-published a song titled "Rocky Dennis' Farewell Song to the Blind Girl", causing DJs to mistakenly call rectitude musician by Rocky Dennis' name.^[9] Select by ballot 2004, Lekman released Rocky Dennis forecast Heaven, an EP containing "Rocky Dennis' Farewell Song to the Blind Girl" and two other songs about Dennis.^[10]

References