Hidden Disability Advocate | Speaker | Author | Adventurer
The Spoon Theory came about in 2003 to describe life with a chronic illness. The spoons represent measures of energy that one has, and they are “used up” as one performs tasks. Different tasks use different amounts of spoons. Once … Read More »
Those of us who’ve had a chronic illness or a mental health diagnosis for at least a little while end up hearing some of the same things over and over from people who might mean well but end up coming … Read More »
TW: death, grieving Someone I know and care about lost her husband this week. I knew and cared about him, too. He was an artist and a joy and a father and way too young to leave. It was many … Read More »
First, a review of Splat. Talking Splat acknowledges that every day, those of us with chronic illnesses and/or mental health diagnoses feel like we’ve been run over by something. It’s just by a different vehicle on different days. We communicate … Read More »
Last September was a dream come true. As a professional speaker at colleges, it was logically a goal to speak at my alma mater, and I finally had the chance to do so. Not only did I get to speak … Read More »
I nearly threw my phone across the room, what she said irked me so much. (But I’m not really a thrower and the thing is expensive … and essential!) It was a roller coaster of opinion that began with me … Read More »
I recently decided to try Reddit. (Find me at https://www.reddit.com/user/ChristinaIrene/) and one of the subreddits I follow is r/disability. A concerned and sensitive person asked the disability community about the straw ban and if a certain perspective is ableist. The … Read More »
Wow, the holidays are tough. We all know this. It’s a wonder we all voluntarily do it year after year. The parties. The decorations. The fudge. One of the things we accept about this time of year is that we’re … Read More »
I’ve interviewed and chatted with a lot of people with different hidden disabilities over the years, and when I ask them what they want everyone to know about their conditions, their answers rarely had to do with the conditions themselves. … Read More »
Recently, I was chatting with a person who helps a close relative with a chronic illness, and upon finding out I live alone with my mutt, she asked me, “Who helps you?” The question really struck me because it was … Read More »