Advocacy, Education, & Adaptive Wear: Conversations with Janira Obregon
Last week, Emily sat down with Janira Obregon for our monthly Facebook Live broadcast to discuss life as an advocate for the disability community, the importance of living and leading by example, and adaptive wear. Janira is a New York Fashion Week Model and college graduate who hopes to study law one day. She lives […]
5 Hacks for Cooking With Chronic Illness
A common challenge in the spoonie community is food. We can’t live without it, yet eating the wrong food can often launch a slew of symptoms. That’s why we put together a list of our top 5 hacks for people cooking with chronic illness! Food has become so integrated into our emotional and social lives that, […]
Four Ways to Use Cover Wear this Summer
Summer is coming! I still can’t believe it when I venture outside without a jacket or any cover wear on. Summer can be a glorious time of beaches, heat, sun, socializing… I can’t help feeling a little lighter as I think of the upcoming months. And yet — I also feel a sense of dread. […]
Living with Lupus
Throughout May, we’ve been sharing stories from Friends in the Fight who are living with the conditions fighting fr awareness this month. Here area few stories in honor of Lupus Awareness Month Erica Lupinacci How does Lupus affect your life? Lupus truly affects all aspects of my life. Physically, my symptoms include chronic chest pain […]
Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month
May is the month of awareness, and one of the disease communities fighting for increased awareness this month is the Cystic Fibrosis community. We’ve heard from some of our Friends in the Fight who have been facing this disease for all or most of their lives. One message that came through was the dire need […]
Nurses Appreciation Week: Thank You
Nurses hold a special place in the hearts and lives of the chronic illness community. As we move in and out of doctors’ offices, treatment rooms, clinics, and hospitals, our nurses are the people who stand by our side and help us navigate a medical landscape that can be confusing and scary, even to the […]
Top Movies and TV Shows Dealing with Chronic Illness You Should Watch
Let’s face it – Hollywood doesn’t always get it right when they tell stories about the chronic illness community. Finding representation of disability and chronic illness in movies and TV shows has been a challenge for decades. This can make it hard to find content pieces that tell our stories authentically. That’s why we put […]
Alternative Methods for Combating PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that affects those who have witnessed or gone through disturbing events. It is especially common among war veterans, given the distressing nature of their jobs and the horrific events they have had to live through. However, this isn’t the only type of experience that can lead one to […]
Life, Illness, and Impact: Conversations with Julian Van Horne
We covered a lot of ground during our Facebook Live interview with Julian Van Horne last week. Julian is an EDS warrior and spoke about the power of self advocacy and pursuing your passion. He and Emily also discussed finding work that focuses on empowering people in the chronic illness community, navigating relationships with chronic […]
Tips for Getting Better Sleep When You Suffer from Chronic Pain
Our sleep is a key component of our overall health and wellbeing. When we lose sleep, we suffer in ways far beyond just having a tough time getting up the next morning. The real effects of sleep deprivation are quite frightening and enough of a warning to make you want to head to bed immediately to […]
Meet Mighty Mentee and Epilepsy Warrior: Zachary
Back in 2012, seven year old Zachary received news about a very special surprise. The Rhode Island based nonprofit, Children’s Wishes, was going to grant his wish to go to Disney World. As a young child, Zach was diagnosed with Epilepsy and P.A.N.D.A.S. (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections) and spent much of his […]
Thriving Through Transition: Conversations with Kirsten Curtis
Just last week, Kirsten Curtis joined Emily on our monthly Facebook Live broadcast to discuss how to cope with people who don’t understand chronic illness, especially during times of transition – like starting college or a new job. Though Kirsten lives with Crohn’s Disease and Emily lives with Neurological Lyme, Emily sees a lot of […]