Kathy Merlock Jackson is professor of communication at Virginia Wesleyan College. Lisa Lyon Payne is associate professor and coordinator of communication at Virginia Wesleyan College. Kathy Shepherd Stolley is professor of sociology at Virginia Wesleyan College.

In The Intersection of Star Culture in America and International Medical Tourism, Jackson, Payne, and Stolley illustrate how our fascination with celebrity engages the popular imagination in personal fantasies of wealth and health. Their analysis of media A-listers who have participated in medical tourism—from Steve McQueen, Rock Hudson, and Farrah Fawcett to Christine Jorgensen, Peyton Manning, and Angelina Jolie—provides sharp insights into our fear of illness (and aging) and our hope for personal rejuvenation.

• Preface and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Going Abroad: Leaving on a Jet Plane for Hope, Health, and HolidayPart I: Seeking Treatment for Life-Threatening Illnesses: Cancer and AIDS Case StudiesChapter 1: Steve McQueen: Treating Mesothelioma in MexicoChapter 2: Rock Hudson: AIDS Comes Out of the ClosetChapter 3: Farrah Fawcett: Killing “Terrorists” in the Black Forest Chapter 4: Steve Jobs: Creative Quests for a Cure Chapter 5: Karen Black: “Help Karen Beat Cancer”Part II: Seeking Treatment for Non-Life-Threatening Conditions: Sex Reassignment, Arthritis, Cosmetic Surgery, and Childbirth Case Studies Chapter 6: Christine Jorgensen: “She Went Abroad and Came Back a Broad”Chapter 7: Peyton Manning: Miracle Cures and a Little Bit of VoodooChapter 8: Pope John Paul II, Nick Nolte, Kobe Bryant, and Alex Rodriguez: A Treatment from GodChapter 9: Suzanne Somers: Growing a Breast Like the Ones in JapanChapter 10: Angelina Jolie: A Beautiful Body Travels the WorldPart III: Spreading the Word: Short Takes on Medical Tourism in Popular Media and its Celebrity Connections Chapter 11: 60 Minutes: Making Thailand’s Bumrungrad International Hospital FamousChapter 12: Sicko (2007): Michael Moore’s Transatlantic Trek for Quality Health Care Chapter 13: Dallas Buyers Club (2013): The “Sexiest Man Alive” Is a Medical TouristConclusion: Coming Home: Social and Political Ramifications of Celebrity Medical TourismBibliographyAbout the Authors

Kathy Merlock Jackson is professor of communication at Virginia Wesleyan College. Lisa Lyon Payne is associate professor and coordinator of communication at Virginia Wesleyan College. Kathy Shepherd Stolley is professor of sociology at Virginia Wesleyan College.

In The Intersection of Star Culture in America and International Medical Tourism, Jackson, Payne, and Stolley illustrate how our fascination with celebrity engages the popular imagination in personal fantasies of wealth and health. Their analysis of media A-listers who have participated in medical tourism—from Steve McQueen, Rock Hudson, and Farrah Fawcett to Christine Jorgensen, Peyton Manning, and Angelina Jolie—provides sharp insights into our fear of illness (and aging) and our hope for personal rejuvenation.

• Preface and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Going Abroad: Leaving on a Jet Plane for Hope, Health, and HolidayPart I: Seeking Treatment for Life-Threatening Illnesses: Cancer and AIDS Case StudiesChapter 1: Steve McQueen: Treating Mesothelioma in MexicoChapter 2: Rock Hudson: AIDS Comes Out of the ClosetChapter 3: Farrah Fawcett: Killing “Terrorists” in the Black Forest Chapter 4: Steve Jobs: Creative Quests for a Cure Chapter 5: Karen Black: “Help Karen Beat Cancer”Part II: Seeking Treatment for Non-Life-Threatening Conditions: Sex Reassignment, Arthritis, Cosmetic Surgery, and Childbirth Case Studies Chapter 6: Christine Jorgensen: “She Went Abroad and Came Back a Broad”Chapter 7: Peyton Manning: Miracle Cures and a Little Bit of VoodooChapter 8: Pope John Paul II, Nick Nolte, Kobe Bryant, and Alex Rodriguez: A Treatment from GodChapter 9: Suzanne Somers: Growing a Breast Like the Ones in JapanChapter 10: Angelina Jolie: A Beautiful Body Travels the WorldPart III: Spreading the Word: Short Takes on Medical Tourism in Popular Media and its Celebrity Connections Chapter 11: 60 Minutes: Making Thailand’s Bumrungrad International Hospital FamousChapter 12: Sicko (2007): Michael Moore’s Transatlantic Trek for Quality Health Care Chapter 13: Dallas Buyers Club (2013): The “Sexiest Man Alive” Is a Medical TouristConclusion: Coming Home: Social and Political Ramifications of Celebrity Medical TourismBibliographyAbout the Authors

Kathy Merlock Jackson is professor of communication at Virginia Wesleyan College. Lisa Lyon Payne is associate professor and coordinator of communication at Virginia Wesleyan College. Kathy Shepherd Stolley is professor of sociology at Virginia Wesleyan College.

In The Intersection of Star Culture in America and International Medical Tourism, Jackson, Payne, and Stolley illustrate how our fascination with celebrity engages the popular imagination in personal fantasies of wealth and health. Their analysis of media A-listers who have participated in medical tourism—from Steve McQueen, Rock Hudson, and Farrah Fawcett to Christine Jorgensen, Peyton Manning, and Angelina Jolie—provides sharp insights into our fear of illness (and aging) and our hope for personal rejuvenation.

• Preface and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Going Abroad: Leaving on a Jet Plane for Hope, Health, and HolidayPart I: Seeking Treatment for Life-Threatening Illnesses: Cancer and AIDS Case StudiesChapter 1: Steve McQueen: Treating Mesothelioma in MexicoChapter 2: Rock Hudson: AIDS Comes Out of the ClosetChapter 3: Farrah Fawcett: Killing “Terrorists” in the Black Forest Chapter 4: Steve Jobs: Creative Quests for a Cure Chapter 5: Karen Black: “Help Karen Beat Cancer”Part II: Seeking Treatment for Non-Life-Threatening Conditions: Sex Reassignment, Arthritis, Cosmetic Surgery, and Childbirth Case Studies Chapter 6: Christine Jorgensen: “She Went Abroad and Came Back a Broad”Chapter 7: Peyton Manning: Miracle Cures and a Little Bit of VoodooChapter 8: Pope John Paul II, Nick Nolte, Kobe Bryant, and Alex Rodriguez: A Treatment from GodChapter 9: Suzanne Somers: Growing a Breast Like the Ones in JapanChapter 10: Angelina Jolie: A Beautiful Body Travels the WorldPart III: Spreading the Word: Short Takes on Medical Tourism in Popular Media and its Celebrity Connections Chapter 11: 60 Minutes: Making Thailand’s Bumrungrad International Hospital FamousChapter 12: Sicko (2007): Michael Moore’s Transatlantic Trek for Quality Health Care Chapter 13: Dallas Buyers Club (2013): The “Sexiest Man Alive” Is a Medical TouristConclusion: Coming Home: Social and Political Ramifications of Celebrity Medical TourismBibliographyAbout the Authors