Who is Lucy Grealy from Truth & Beauty: A Friendship and what is their importance?

Lucy Grealy was a shining, literary star at Sarah Lawrence College. She was also a star for her disfigured face. Due to childhood cancer and chemotherapy, she had lost a large portion of her jaw and only had six front teeth. All her life, she had reconstructive surgeries to rebuild her face. But after every surgery, the results were the same: the jaw bone would not stay in place. Her face still looked noticeably disfigured.