THE Fermanagh born man who was held captive by Saddam Hussein’s regime and was doctor to the late pop star Michael Jackson is to publish his life story later this year. Doctor Patrick Treacy’s book ‘Behind the Mask’ is part travelogue, thriller, and celebrity tell-all and is already a best seller in terms of pre-orders on the Amazon website.

The Garrison man grew up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Determined to become a doctor, he raised the money for medical school by smuggling cars from Germany to Turkey.

It was while working in a hospital in Dublin in 1987 that disaster struck. A needle he had used to draw blood from a patient with HIV jabbed him in the leg. Overwhelmed he ran off to New Zealand and worked as a doctor around the world, including Australia and Baghdad. During years of conflict, Dr. Treacy was held captive for a period by Saddam Hussein’s regime for visiting the scene of the chemical bombing of Halabja in Kurdistan without government permission. When he returned to Dublin he set up the Ailesbury Clinic, where he worked on cosmetic dermatology, championing treatments such as the use of Botox. Celebrities that approached him included the late pop star Michael Jackson whom he became friends with.

The cosmetic doctor has made special contributions to the advanced techniques official aesthetics and hair transplant. He studied Molecular Biology at Queen’s University Belfast and medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons. He has worked in medical clinics around the world, including Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Iraq, Gibraltar and the Caribbean.

Central to the memoir is Dr. Treacy’s personal journey: his efforts to escape the Troubles, cope with the fear that he might have contracted HIV, until he found out that he had not, gain closure for his lost love and defend Michael Jackson’s legacy.

‘Behind the Mask’ will be launched both at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin and at the Ardhowen Theatre in October. For more information and to pre-order his book visit amazon.com and search for ‘Behind the Mask’.