• close up of a handicapped parking space
    Chronic Illness

    The Five Lies of Disability – Breaking the Stigma

    As if being physically impaired isn’t enough, there can be a lot of mental and emotional damage that tends to affect the sick as well. As one who has lived on both sides of the spectrum of being perfectly healthy and chronically ill, I have experienced firsthand how these thoughts can take their toll. You feel ashamed. Embarrassed. Humiliated. You don’t want to be seen as different. You don’t want to be viewed as fragile. You feel guilty. You should be working. You shouldn’t be in bed all day. You should be taking care of your family, your home. You feel doubt. What if no one believes me? What if…

  • girl with two braids standing in front of a colorful graffiti wall of flowers
    Chronic Illness,  Spirit

    The Tapestry of Healing

    I spent approximately seven months trying to find a doctor who would believe something was wrong with me. It took ten more months for me to no longer be questioned by the medical community, and still over another year to convince the federal government that I was sick enough to be disabled. After almost three years of fighting for my health, I was finally free to rest, recover, and heal. Except I couldn’t. Not fully at least. You spend almost three years trying to convince the world that something is wrong and see how easy it is to stop. My mind had become used to a constant repeat, reciting my…

  • Chronic Illness

    The Truth About Medical Trauma

    ⊗ Trigger Warning: The following post discusses Medical PTSD & Trauma. Please proceed with caution. “I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” – Anne Frank There are many reasons I write. Outside of it being my calling, writing can be incredibly therapeutic. Like seeing a therapist, it brings clarity to the situations in my life. Oftentimes, it can feel as if bees are swarming around in my mind. I can’t think straight, and speaking is almost completely out of the question. But writing allows for these “bees” to fly out one at a time and land on each page accordingly. It allows…

  • black and white photo of girl with shaved head wearing a hospital gown taking a selfie in a mirror
    Chronic Illness

    What We Wish You Knew

    Not everything is easy to say – especially for someone who battles sickness and pain on a daily basis. But there are many things that we wish you knew. I ask that you take the time today to read through what so many of us with chronic illnesses struggle with on a daily basis. Help us break that silence. I cannot speak for everyone, but I do believe this can speak for many: 1.) Sometimes we don’t want to take medicine. You’ve seen the commercials. We don’t need to tell you the side effects that can come with the medications we  take. Some of us can barely even keep track…

  • teal and green awareness ribbon
    Chronic Illness,  Intracranial Hypertension

    Living with Intracranial Hypertension

    Have you been battling Intracranial Hypertension and the life-altering symptoms it causes? Don’t fight it alone. Let us be there for you. Which topic has been eating away at your mind? Are you struggling in your marriage? Are you having trouble working yet can’t afford to stay home? Are you wondering how to function and communicate while staying in the hospital? Have you even fully accepted yet what happened to you? Pick a topic and read away. Know you are not alone in this battle and that there is a purpose behind your pain. We are here for you. Relationships Parenting Working A Day in the Life Coping with an…

  • young woman with hat standing next to a white picket fence staring off to the side
    Chronic Illness

    Labeled Disabled

    Recently, I received some wonderful news. I have officially been declared disabled. Wait, what? Come on. Let’s talk about what nobody wants to talk about. Disability. Everything about it seems to scream caution. Judgement. Legalities. Who really wants to be disabled? Who really wants to be limited by what their body can or cannot do? It just doesn’t make sense to speak disability upon yourself at the same time you’re claiming healing. But to some, it’s an answered prayer. My Story It took a year from my epidural for my health to spiral out of control. But I still remained too proud to admit that my body was not what…