Top 5 apps for managing illness
At Mighty Well, we know that patients and caregivers are the ones with the pro tips. We live with our conditions every day and have found creative solutions for making each day a little better. So when we’re looking for fresh ideas, we ask our Friends in the Fight! Managing a chronic illness can feel […]
Lyme Disease Awareness in a COVID Pandemic
If you were to develop a sore throat and fever this week, complete with aches and chills, your first thought would likely be COVID-19. Your doctor might tell you to stay home and quarantine unless things got worse. And they’d be right to do so! Yet these symptoms, all too familiar in our world of flu outbreaks […]
Wendy Williams: on Graves’ disease and the power of honesty
Famed talk show host Wendy Williams is one of many women like Missy Elliot, Leona Lewis, and Sia opening up about their experiences with Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism. Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder. The immune system attacks the thyroid, causing it to overproduce hormones. These hormones control many different bodily functions, so thyroid disorders […]
Looking Back to Move Forward — 5 ways to safely create meaning this Independence Day
Happy Independence Day! COVID-19 is still present and a concern for us. Many communities are grappling with social and racial unrest. Landmarks and symbols of American history are being reevaluated through the lens of the racism and genocides they represent. Independence, the very value we celebrate every July, is a significant contributor to why the US is […]
Aaron Philip: a model for “all types of bodies”
Photo Credit: Bryan Whitley on CNN As Pride month comes to a close, with activists still fighting for Black lives, it’s important to remind ourselves of this truth: all of this was made possible by Black trans women. The Stonewall Riots of 1969, the foundation of the modern LGBTQ+ movement, were in response to police […]
Getting Back To It
These last few weeks, we’ve seen a wave of people getting out of the house, whether to enjoy the summer weather or to attend protests in support of Black lives. States are also beginning to loosen their restrictions and people are heading back to work, restaurants, and shopping centers. While this means renewed hope for […]
How I Found Out I Had Multiple Sclerosis
Today we connected with Destiny about her experience with a multiple sclerosis diagnosis and how her healthcare team finally discovered the actual cause of her symptoms. Multiple sclerosis, aka MS, is a disease that impacts the central nervous system. Some of the common symptoms that people with a multiple sclerosis diagnosis experience include (Mayo Clinic): […]
Moving in with parents
Life with chronic illness can be rife with complicated decisions. Many come with the added weight of grief — do I give up something I love or keep doing it because the emotional loss will be worse right now than the medical consequences? This is an ongoing process, as each year brings new changes of […]
Halle Berry Opens Up About Type 2 Diabetes
Chronic illness can come with shame and stigmas that keep many of our stories in the dark. It takes courage to come out to the world with a diagnosis. That’s why we love it when celebrities choose to use their platform to open up chronic illness conversations! Type 2 diabetes is no stranger to stigma, […]
Top 5 Tips for Protesting While Immunocompromised / Disabled
If you’ve been reeling from the pain of recent events, you are not alone. Our hearts ache, our anger flares, and we feel we must do something. But… what? How can those of us with compromised immune systems, complex symptoms, and disabilities get involved? We reached out to Emily Levy, Mighty Well’s CEO and co-founder […]
Compassion in Uncertain Times
Fear can do funny things to our brains. It disrupts the balance in our autonomic nervous system, activating the fight, flight, or freeze response. In times of fear, we are more likely to pull inward or lash outward at potential threats. This is a perfectly normal survival mechanism and something we are seeing during COVID-19. […]
Supporting Loved Ones Through Mental Health Challenges
In challenging times, we all experiencing heightened anxiety and feelings of depression. We feel grief, fear, and uncertainty. And this can be especially difficult when we are separated from the support systems that have kept us going through tough times in the past. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I wrote about the new empathy that society […]