Karen "Duff" Duffy (born May 23, 1962) is an American writer, model, television personality, and actress. She is a certified hospital chaplain, a former Coney Island Mermaid Queen, and one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful Women" in 1993.[3] In 1995, Duffy was diagnosed with a rare form of the disease sarcoidosis called neurosarcoidosis.[4] Since then, she's written two books about her experience living with chronic pain and is a member of the Alliance for the Ethical Treatment of Pain Patients.
By 1989, Duffy was modeling and appearing in television commercials. She was a VJ for MTV in the early 1990s, under the name "Duff." She had small roles in a handful of films including Dumb and Dumber and Blank Check, and by 1995 was working as a correspondent for documentary filmmaker Michael Moore on his television shows TV Nation and The Awful Truth. She also was a Revlon "Charlie Girl" as well as the face of Almay Cosmetics, and co-hosted the pay-per-view television event, Elvis: The Tribute from the Memphis Pyramid in 1994 with Kris Kristofferson.
In 2008, Duffy began working with New York City's NYC Media on a series of emergency preparedness videos.[9] The videos, which mimic the style of the network TV show Secrets of New York, help raise awareness of the perils of natural disasters and preventative actions families should take to prepare for them.
Writing and speaking on sarcoidosis
In 1995, Duffy was diagnosed with a rare form of the disease sarcoidosis called neurosarcoidosis. Her brain and spinal cord were affected,[10] leaving her partially paralyzed.
Duffy is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Model Patient: My Life as an Incurable Wise-Ass. In her latest book,[10]Backbone: Living With Chronic Pain Without Turning Into One, she describes her ongoing incurable disease and constant pain, using humor and acceptance of her condition to cope. She was inspired to write the second book by Lord Byron, who wrote "Always laugh when you can, it is cheap medicine."
Her articles, on a range of subjects, have appeared in media outlets, including The New York Times[11] and Oprah Magazine.[12] She spoke at the 2018 US Pain Foundation annual gala.[13]
Personal life
She married John Lambros in 1997. They have one son, who was born via surrogate in 2003.[14] On Boston comedian Ken Reid's podcast, Duffy stated she's a devout Catholic.[15]
^Lauro, Patricia Winters (November 24, 2002). "Communities; A Mob Town, And Proud of It". The New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2012. For a tiny town, Park Ridge has its share of famous people. Karen Duffy, a model, MTV vee-jay and author of 'Model Patient: My Life as an Incurable Wiseass' (HarperCollins, $24), was raised in the borough and graduated in 1979 with Mr. Gandolfini.
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