Illness requires us to let go of a lot of things. I sometimes think it’s a spiritual quest toward non-attachment. Priorities become clearer as we need to clear our plates to allow for healing. I had to let go of two things today. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow where…
Cankles & Other Exciting Things
The cankles have arrived! It’s lovely to watch your ankle expand during the day to eventually swallow any definition you previously had between your calves and feet. The one lesson this has taught me is that strappy sandals are not a good choice at this point in my care. We…
Ashley, who inspires you to be chronically resilient?
Ashley Jenkins is our final Chronic Resilience contest honoree. We were very moved by Ashley’s tribute which demonstrates how important it is to share our stories and connect. Take it away Ashley… I consider myself an extremely lucky individual; yes, I suffer from a horrible disease known as Gastroparesis, but…
Aimee, who inspires you to be chronically resilient?
Aimee Ward is one of our Chronic Resilience contest honorees. She has written a touching essay about the power of those that are closest to us to see past our flaws and know exactly what we need. Take it away Aimee… If I had to pick a person who inspires…
Danica, who inspires you to be chronically resilient?
Danica Moore is the winner of our Chronic Resilience Essay Contest! She has written a beautiful essay about the ability of a child to celebrate all of the wonderfulness that we are. Take it away Danica… Pigtails By: Danica Moore Everyday I wake up and fight a battle that I…
What NOT to do When You Get a New Diagnosis (or Prognosis)
Getting diagnosed with anything is tough. There are things to learn, appointments to attend, tests to have done, medications to start, family to inform, insurance to deal with and of course, a TON of emotions that can be all over the place. I’ve done getting a new prognosis in two…
Warrior Women: Sharmyn & Mari
By now you’ve met Sarah & Lauren, Charity & Kelly, and Nicole & Sandra. All are strong, driven, amazing women who also happen to cope with an illness. Like you, and me, they have ups and downs, they also have some incredible insights that have been included in Chronic Resilience.…
Chronic Resilience Essay Contest Winners
THANK YOU to everyone that submitted an essay for our Chronic Resilience Essay Contest! You have some amazing, supportive, inspiring people in your lives and we were absolutely touch by your tributes to them! Contest submissions ended July 26th and we have selected our 3 winners!! 1st Place Grand Prize…
The Ridiculous Goal of ‘Get Healthy’
At New Years, or after a particularly glutinous meal, everyone says they want to “get healthy.” But what does that mean? Get healthy isn’t a good goal to have. At all. Becoming healthy is going to require you to do things you do not want to do. You will need…
Warrior Women: Nicole & Sandra
Over the last few weeks I’ve been introducing you to the phenomenal women featured in Chronic Resilience. If you haven’t read about Sarah and Lauren or Charity and Kelly, pop back over to their posts, but first meet Nicole (chapter 6) and Sandra (chapter 8). Nicole Lemelle Becoming diagnosed with…