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      Diagnosed With Diabetes… Now What?

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      5 Healthy Meals You Can Cook on the…

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      Spread love, not germs, this Valentine’s Day

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      New CDC Guidelines on Double Masking

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      Body Positivity Month

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      December 30, 2020December 30, 2020

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    • Friends in the Fight

      Diagnosed With Diabetes… Now What?

      February 17, 2021February 17, 2021

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      Body Positivity Month

      February 10, 2021February 11, 2021

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      World Cancer Day: 5 ways to support someone…

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      Making the Invisible Visible

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  • Chronic Illness
    • Chronic Illness

      Diagnosed With Diabetes… Now What?

      February 17, 2021February 17, 2021

      Chronic Illness

      Body Positivity Month

      February 10, 2021February 11, 2021

      Chronic Illness

      Diabetes Resource Guide

      February 5, 2021February 5, 2021

      Chronic Illness

      World Cancer Day: 5 ways to support someone…

      February 3, 2021February 3, 2021

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      Mighty Well Staff Picks

      January 27, 2021January 27, 2021

  • General Wellness
    • General Wellness

      5 Healthy Meals You Can Cook on the…

      February 24, 2021February 24, 2021

      General Wellness

      Spread love, not germs, this Valentine’s Day

      February 12, 2021February 12, 2021

      General Wellness

      New CDC Guidelines on Double Masking

      February 11, 2021February 11, 2021

      General Wellness

      Body Positivity Month

      February 10, 2021February 11, 2021

      General Wellness

      Looking Towards the New Year With Hope and…

      December 30, 2020December 30, 2020

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    Mighty Well | body positivity
    Chronic IllnessFeaturedFriends in the FightGeneral WellnessThe Undefeated

    Body Positivity Month

    by Ariela Paulsen February 10, 2021February 11, 2021
    written by Ariela Paulsen

    Illness and disability can change how we see our bodies in so many ways!  We’ve loved seeing model Winnie Harlow celebrating how her skin, like her mind, continues to change over the years.

    For Body Positivity Month this February, let’s join her in loving our bodies for all the things they do for us, and accepting the changes that come.

    weight fluctuations 

    When most people talk about body positivity, they think about weight gain and fat shaming.  Those of us with chronic illness and disability are no strangers to weight fluctuations.  Medications can cause our metabolisms to go caddywompus.  Challenges with exercise or dietary restrictions can take away any control we may have had, making comments to “just exercise more” or “watch what you eat” all the more infuriating.  Looking in the mirror and realizing you look wildly different than you did before your health took a turn brings a whole slew of emotions.  And when we lose weight from being sick, feedback from peers about how “healthy” we look now make it difficult to have a positive outlook when feeling better comes with subsequent weight gain.

    A chapter in Surviving and Thriving With an Invisible Chronic Illness by Ilana Jacqueline brought me some relief.  She suggests keeping a set of clothes for each body type you encounter in yourself.  That way, each time your body changes, you have something to wear that looks good and, more importantly, feels like you.

    Medical research is beginning to explore the negative effects of weight bias and fat shaming in health care.  Movements like body positivity can help reverse the messages that have been instilled in us for generations.  We can contribute by using positive talk with ourselves and limiting “body talk” around others.  

    battle scars 

    The emotional toll of illness can leave scars deeper than skin, but even physical scars can be challenging to accept.  They are visual reminders of what has happened to us, sometimes traumatic or deeply stigmatized experiences.  With the right mindset, however, they can come to represent all of the ways we’ve been stronger than our experiences, the ways we’ve overcome the impossible!  

    Khaled — Friend in the Fight, and partner to Mighty Well’s Operations Director, Pamela — chatted with us about coming to accept, and even love, his hydrocephalus scars:

    “I was diagnosed at 18 months old after my parents observed me having slurred speech and delayed motor skills and took me to a neurologist who determined I had hydrocephalus. I had four surgeries.

    As a child I made sure to keep my scars hidden. I never had my hair cut very short and wore hats often. I was ashamed of my scars because I didn’t know the story behind them. My parents, in an effort to protect me, never really divulged exactly why I needed the operations except to say that it was to help with my headaches.

    It wasn’t until very recently that I started allowing my hair to be cut very short. My wife taught me to not be afraid. She showed me what it meant to have courage. Having witnessed her own recent struggles with challenges brought on by her illness I too learned to not feel ashamed or embarrassed.  Scars are not a sign of vulnerability. They tell people what you might have been once but not who you will be.”

    [dis]ability

    What our bodies are capable of plays a role in how we see ourselves as well.  It is important to remember what we can do, and the incredible strength required to overcome the challenges we face, rather than focusing on what our bodies can’t do.  Negative self-talk that paints our bodies as the enemy, or phrases like “my body hates me” tend to bring even more pain.  A hypnotherapist once suggested that I try picturing my body as a lovable animal or a young child.  It may not always behave the way I want, but I would never hate a puppy for acting like a puppy, or hate a child for not being grown up enough to know how to act.  She helped me visualize petting the animal or snuggling the child to comfort them.  It helped me see my body as a partner in all of this, and that the things it cannot do right now are ok — it’s doing the best it can, given the hand it was dealt.

    Our Friend in the Fight Julie has had a tough couple of years.  She was diagnosed with EDS and POTS, began using a wheelchair (facing stigma and skepticism as a result), underwent hip surgery during a pandemic, and then discovered new comorbidities that required a PICC line and feeding tube.  She has faced each of these new devices with hope — these can help my body to do things it can’t do on its own right now.  It took time to get to this place, however, and proudly accepting herself as disabled was not easy.  She had to shift from seeing her mobility aids as a reminder of all her body can’t do, to being the tools that make those things possible again:

    “Needing mobility aids like crutches, a cane, a walker, or a wheelchair can feel so defeating at first. The more I connected with other people like me, the more I realized that my mobility aids do not limit me, but rather give me freedom to be independent!”

    medical devices

    In addition to mobility aids, medical devices like PICCs, ports, pumps, and feeding tubes can impact how we see our bodies.  Yet, they are so important for our bodies’ healing!

    Mighty Well Ambassador Kiera uses social media to remind others to normalize devices, and to find humor and joy in their scars.

    After a third (and somewhat messy) feeding tube placement:

    “3 belly buttons are far superior to 2!”

    “Those carefree summer days. Just wanted to say let’s normalize being different and needing assistive devices. They aren’t shameful so why should I hide them? Myself and a lot of people I know regularly get comments about covering up our lines, tubes, scars, braces etc. These devices keep me alive and I think that’s badass. So if you are uncomfortable because of someone else’s differences, think about why it makes you uncomfortable and what you can do to change your own perspective on disability before you tell someone to be ashamed of their differences. Happy summer! “

    And hey, these devices were the reason Mighty Well was created in the first place!  These miracles of modern medicine make us stronger.  They don’t dictate our style or confidence unless we let them!

    Whatever your body’s journey has been, whatever visible reminders linger on your skin, don’t forget to love yourself for who you are today!

    Want to share your body positivity story?  Tag us on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, or join our community in the Friends in the Fight facebook group!

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  • Chronic IllnessFeaturedFriends in the FightMightier Together

    World Cancer Day: 5 ways to support someone you love with cancer

    by Ariela Paulsen February 3, 2021February 3, 2021

    Tomorrow is World Cancer Day, an opportunity to stop and think about everyone in our lives who has been affected…

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  • Adaptive WearChronic IllnessFeaturedMedical Devices

    Mighty Well Staff Picks

    by Ariela Paulsen January 27, 2021January 27, 2021

    As a patient-owned company, we at Mighty Well create products that we believe in! Curious what our favorites are?  We…

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  • Chronic IllnessFeaturedFriends in the Fight

    We Are Mighty Well

    by Ariela Paulsen January 22, 2021January 22, 2021

    This past year, I’ve learned to appreciate the small things: moments of peace at home, a sunny day, grabbing a…

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  • Chronic IllnessFeaturedLyme DiseasePopular PostsThe Undefeated

    Mighty Close to Home: Featuring Tori and Lulu Piskin

    by Ariela Paulsen October 12, 2020October 12, 2020

    The relationship between patients and caregivers can be wonderful, challenging, and complex.  Many of us feel the need to down…

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  • FeaturedFriends in the FightGeneral Wellness

    World Mental Health Day: Tips for Those New to Therapy

    by Ariela Paulsen October 10, 2020October 10, 2020

    These last several months of uncertainty, quarantine, and constant risk-assessment have been taxing on all of us. Our collective mental…

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  • Chronic IllnessFeaturedThe Undefeated

    Sasha Pieterse: bringing PCOS into the light

    by Ariela Paulsen September 24, 2020September 24, 2020

    https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Sasha-Pieterse-PCOS-Quotes-45957325 It can be tough to talk about illness for so many reasons. Some conditions come with additional challenges, such…

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  • Chronic IllnessFeaturedGeneral WellnessThe Undefeated

    6 Ways to Build Confidence Despite Chronic Illness

    by Ann-Marie September 22, 2020September 22, 2020

    Living with chronic illness can significantly impact your confidence levels and change how you look at yourself. It’s common to…

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  • FeaturedFriends in the FightThe Undefeated

    Celebrating Our Diverse Brains

    by Ariela Paulsen September 14, 2020September 29, 2020

    We’ve been exploring this week the concept of neurodiversity — that the world isn’t split between neurotypical and neurodivergent people,…

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  • Chronic IllnessFeaturedFriends in the FightThe Undefeated

    Celebrating Our Diverse Brains: Claire Lapat

    by Ariela Paulsen September 14, 2020September 14, 2020

    This week, we are learning about neurodiversity in our community. We sat down with Claire — athlete, college student, and…

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About Us

Hi, We're Mighty Well.

The mission of Mighty Well is to help patients and their caregivers turn sickness into strength. We are leading the global charge that changes the perception of patients from victims to fighters. We do this by improving the experience of being a patient. We create the products we wish we’d had: functional and stylish apparel and accessories that you can wear with confidence - and content that can help you get through the good times and the bad. It’s wellness you can wear.

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  • Diagnosed With Diabetes… Now What?
  • Spread love, not germs, this Valentine’s Day
  • New CDC Guidelines on Double Masking
  • Body Positivity Month

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Popular Posts

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    7 Things Not To Do With a PICC Line

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    PICC Line Complications: Common Issues and How To Prevent Them

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    Making a Choice: PICC Line vs. Port

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CHRONIC ILLNESS

Our Story

Mighty Well - Founder - Emily Levy - Our Story

 

It all started with a cut off sock, a cute hockey player, and an 8 AM finance class. Oh, and a PICC Line. That moment inspired us to launch our first product, the PICCPerfect PICC Line Cover.

 

We know it stinks to feel defined by a diagnosis or feel like just a name on a doctor’s chart. Sounds like you? Read how our founder turned sickness into strength.

Recent Posts

  • 5 Healthy Meals You Can Cook on the Road with a Kitchenette

    February 24, 2021
  • Diagnosed With Diabetes… Now What?

    February 17, 2021
  • Spread love, not germs, this Valentine’s Day

    February 12, 2021

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