Hidden Disability Advocate | Speaker | Author | Adventurer
Last week, I wrote an article about appointment fatigue, the multitude of reasons I’m just so over all this medical stuff I’m doing lately (check it out here if you missed it), and now I want to share some big … Read More »
I’m over it, but it’s not over. For years, I’ve resisted medical appointments, having utterly lost hope that physicians can do anything to help me. A lot of it stems from how terrible my experience was in getting diagnosed with … Read More »
I’ve had quite a rough run with my chronic illnesses these past several months. Really, it’s been building up over two-and-a-half years, since I got COVID. Now, I’m finally making some headway. With help from medical professionals, I’m finally starting … Read More »
In the journey of invisible illnesses and mental health, we get assigned words. The words are diagnoses. Diagnoses can be powerful blessings. They are a pathway to understanding, to treatment, to community, to validation. But they may also hold devastations … Read More »
On one of my worst days this week, I dumped a scoop of cat food into the bowl I keep on my back porch. Hearing the clank of all the crunchy little pieces against the stainless steel, I felt valuable. … Read More »
Here’s the thing about not having a diagnosis: It’s very challenging to move forward. I couldn’t get a clear treatment plan, because we didn’t know what we were treating. I couldn’t explain to friends and coworkers what was going on, because I didn’t know myself. I couldn’t connect with other people who were sharing my experience because I didn’t know who they were. And maybe most importantly, I couldn’t properly grieve. Because I didn’t know what I was grieving.
I avoid in-person trainings and especially conferences, because my chronic conditions make them quite uncomfortable and even agonizingly painful. I live with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease (with one terrible herniated disc named Larry), and … Read More »
I have a joyful building toy hobby, which has now inspired a new YouTube channel @ConstruxtiveChris featuring a favorite toy from my childhood, Fisher-Price Construx. This channel has nothing to do with my speaking business or my Splat books. It’s … Read More »
I am so thrilled to have my own business and all the flexibility that comes from being self-employed. I’ve managed to become an entrepreneur both despite and because of my hidden disabilities, which are: osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease (with a … Read More »
I finally made another little movie! This was the first week of February, 2024, when I spoke at Cayuga Community College’s Auburn and Fulton campuses, as well as Onondaga Community College and State University of New York Morrisville. Here you … Read More »