What it is like to have an Adult Child with Fibromyalgia

When I started my website I forewarned my parents that I’d like them to write a little something about how they have felt having an adult child with fibromyalgia. I think hearing different perspectives are good for everyone. Below are some of my mom’s thoughts. Soon I will have my dad’s thoughts as well.

From my mom. . .

 

Like all parents, we are so very, very proud of Felicia. We love her dearly. Yes, she’s the apple of our eyes – and The Helpful Hubby is the best son-in-law any parents could have. Well enough of the good stuff – now for the unexpected. Felicia has handled fibromyalgia better than I thought was humanly possible. Maybe receiving the diagnosis when a busy student at a large university is the time to get the crummy news. She couldn’t stop, she didn’t have too much time to reflect, and those papers and exams were always calling for attention. (I’m sure not a minute was wasted.)

 

Felicia’s diagnosis took about a year. She had not kept us “up to speed” about the number of different doctors but in an efficient fashion, we got the explanation, “don’t worry, don’t come up, there’s no cure.” Anger and fear weren’t really my feelings, more: sadness for my “baby,” “Ick, how can I help Felicia, maybe it’ll go away if it’s sort of a chemical imbalance.”

Mainly I wondered about her ability to conquer her courses and what, if any, adjustments the university would/could make. I wondered if she would get so bad that she would be confined to a bed. Then Felicia brought home a fairly technical book. I read most of it. She’s been bringing home reading material ever since. I’m not quite so ignorant about fibromyalgia now.

We still really want to help Felicia but, that is hard to do, especially with her living out of state. Always my first instinct is to wrap my arms around her and just hug tightly for a really long time—maybe hours. Well, with fibro, that’s not a warm, cozy feeling for her to say the least. I can’t say, “It’ll get better,” because it may get worse before it gets better. I want to bake goodies, but know I’ll be chastised because she’s trying to eat nutritiously. Since I live far away, I can’t run over and do the laundry or dusting. She’d probably love it if I’d fly out for seasonal gardening though. I’d like to baby her in many ways, but that doesn’t make her fibromyalgia get better, it doesn’t help Felicia deal with life better, it just makes Mom feel better.

Felicia, my husband, and I talk frequently. Felicia and her father have a very special, loving relationship. Mostly I whisper little prayers throughout the day. We try to support both her and The Helpful Hubby in any way we can from a long distance.

Generally when I see or talk with Felicia, the first thing I do is figure out if it is a good or bad day. When I can visit her, usually her general posture or eyes tell me, but sometimes it’s the braces, compresses, or verbal warning of, “don’t touch me.”

I hated during my pregnancy when everyone else thought it was the only topic to talk about. So, if Felicia wants to talk about fibromyalgia, I’ll talk, but I don’t make it the core of every conversation. Felicia is so much more than this condition. She is a vibrant, interesting, creative, intelligent, compassionate, and humorous woman who happens to be dealing with a lot of pain.

The major way I see her coping with fibromyalgia is through determination. If she says she is going to do something, it will be done. It will be on time and correct, and with bells and whistles, when appropriate. She has been the family organizer since age 4.

She tries to stay positive. It drives her crazy when people don’t even try to be pleasant when dealing with the public. Felicia is not one of those obnoxious cheery people. She wakes grumpy, gets headaches, has fibromyalgia; but she looks for ways to make things better, she doesn’t dwell on the spilt milk in life, and somewhere she has learned to make lemonade from the lemons life gives her.

Felicia monitors her activities. She is a really good planner. She will space steps out so that everything isn’t left until the last minute. Although she deals well with crisis, she hates being put in that position due to others poorly made plans.

Felicia uses tools that help make household chores easier. One, not-so-obvious “tool,” is being organized. She claims that everything in her house as its own “home.” She can tell someone exactly where to find almost any item in her house. This is helpful for others when they are trying to help her – no need to search around for items or feel badly asking where something is.

She researches fibromyalgia, reads books and articles, searches on-line, and learns continually. She is active in local groups, and of course she started her website and tweets. She really believes in a place for positive examples of people living with fibromyalgia. She hopes to be a banner of information for most, a shared moment for many, and a ray of hope for some. As her mother, I want her to succeed. As a person, I want you to succeed too. May this find you making progress which will lead to your good day.”

About Felicia: “I’d like to think that everything that I do in life is done with passion. To me it’s not worth doing something if you don’t believe whole-heartedly in it! I enjoy photography, flowers, baking, traveling and bicycling and am an active volunteer with my local Arthritis Foundation office. Everyone who knows me also knows my favorite color is purple. I started my Felicia Fibroblog in hopes that I would be able to create a community where people with fibromyalgia and other medical conditions relate. I planned to share resources I have found to be helpful as well as my own personal tips and tricks. I am lucky enough to know a few other ladies with fibromyalgia and will sometimes share their experiences as well.”

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Featured Workshops Today: Working and Chronic Illness

If you are one of the millions of people who live with a chronic illness and yet you still get up and go to work every morning, you may find there is a lack of resources for your particular situation. Although you may feel as though you do not necessarily fit in with the career-oriented people who are healthy and not suffering from challenges on a daily basis, you may also feel that you do not specifically relate to those who are home a great deal of time and not able to physically work.

We have found some wonderful resources for you and you will discover that having chronic illness does not prevent you from also having an exceptional career. Although the career you have originally chosen may no longer be possible due to your situation and physical limitations, that does not mean that there are not thousands of career options that you may still choose from, a few which are likely to feel passionate about.

In fact, you may find that having a chronic condition may help you narrow in on your passions and what you enjoy the most, and thereby, make your career choice, an intentional one which can serve you in years to come.

Join us for a couple of workshops where we speak about careers and chronic illness and working well when chronically ill.

Are you interested in “Finding the Job You Desire and Can Do? Rosalind Joffe will be you through the process of looking at what your abilities are (and yes, your inabilities now) and how to go about choosing a wise career path that can work well with the and picked ability of your chronic illness, as well as those leadership skills you have mastered due to managing your illness effectively.

You will also hear from some people who have started their own business, such as Jennie Krogulski who is the founder of Hilton Head Nannies and works each day to best accommodate her career path as well as the daily difficulties with her chronic condition. Rosalind Joffe built on her own experience of living with chronic illnesses for 30 years, including multiple sclerosis and ulcerative colitis, when she founded cicoach.com. And Trish Robichaud is a Maximum Life & Healthy Relationship Coach who lives with multiple sclerosis & major depression. See Illness, Work, Career, and Starting Your Own Business

You also have the opportunity to hear from Lisa about starting Rest Ministries, the founder of Invisible Illness Week. She shares how she has Managed Chronic Illness and a Nonprofit Organization.

This year instead of having a live virtual conference we are featuring some amazing workshops from past years. You can find them all here on Blog Talk Radio or, if you use itunes, enter “invisible illness” under “podcasts” and then download them to a music player to listen to anytime. >More instructions here

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Featured Workshops Today: Searching For Self Understanding

Do you ever feel a bit emotionally stuck? Whether you have the blues or have gone through some major depression, some our favorite marriage and family therapists join us with their seminars, as well as some illness advocates. All of these women Lisa is honored to call friend.

Here are some of their workshops we know you will enjoy and hopefully get something wonderful and helpful out of!

“Living with Chronic Illness: Why It Hurts, How to Cope” Georgia Shaffer, Maureen Pratt, and Mary Yerkes join us in an interview style 1-hour conversation. There are some powerful tools that can start helping you today!

A bit about these women:

Georgia Shaffer is a licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania and a certified life coach. For over 15 years, she has enhanced people’s lives by teaching how to identify: “What needs to grow? What needs to go?”

Author and speaker Maureen Pratt lives with multiple illnesses, including organ-involved lupus, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, and chronic back pain. Through her books, including “Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness,” she encourages others to deepen their faith and Christian walk in spite of and with living with chronic illness.

Mary Yerkes is a professional life coach who specializes in working with the chronically ill. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases in 1997, Mary combines years of practical experience with her professional training to help the chronically ill build meaningful and significant lives.

More programs you will love!

In the program, “Understanding How we Uniquely Deal with Difficulties in Life,” Georgia Shaffer explains how we handle the stress of illness in our lives is very unique to us. Our personality, faith, coping skills and more all come together and one person’s way is not better or worse than anothers.

Leslie Vernick shares with us something we all encounter at one time or another: “Dealing with Hurt Feeling and Mixed Up Relationships.” Leslie Vernick is a Christian counselor who doing most of her work with relationship problems. She focuses on improving relationships with others, God and self, teaching people how to address conflict, speak the truth in love, handle adversity in a God-centered way and negotiate through difficult and destructive relationships with biblical principles.

Regardless of your faith, Leslie will give some practical tools and tips to help you with the people in your life. When things go wrong in relationships, is someone at fault? Do you feel like you would have responded differently if your illness didn’t get in the way? Leslie will explain how to respond when things don’t turn out the way we’d hoped.

If you feel like there are times when you are messing up your own life, you’ll want to listen to Jenny Prokopy’s presentation, “Overcoming Self-Defeating Behaviors” Jenni is the founder of the popular chronicbabe.com

This year instead of having a live virtual conference we are featuring some amazing workshops from past years. You can find them all here on Blog Talk Radio or, if you use itunes, enter “invisible illness” under “podcasts” and then download them to a music player to listen to anytime. >More instructions here

Popularity: 4% [?]

About This Week’s Workshops

Monday is officially the first day of National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week. In past years we have featured a 5-day virtual conference with special guests who help us learn to live better lives even though we also deal with the day to day struggles of an unpredictable chronic illness.

This year we will be featuring some of these exceptional workshops. Each day we will provide links to 3 or 4 podcasts we think you would enjoy. We hope that you find the information valuable and helpful and please feel fre to share it with a friend,on your favorite social network, or even in your own blog (you can actually get the embed code at blogtalkradio.com)

You can find them all podcasts here on Blog Talk Radio or, if you use itunes, enter “invisible illness” under “podcasts” and then download them to a music player to listen to anytime. >More instructions here

Popularity: 9% [?]

Is Living With Illness Choosing to Give In?

Lisa Copen

Nearly one in two people live with an illness, and most chronic illnesses are invisible. Conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome to diabetes rarely have visual side effects that people can see. It creates a challenge for those who live with invisible daily chronic pain, symptoms, and side effects.

For example, though I look fine on the outside, I have lived with rheumatoid arthritis for 18 years. It has been degenerative, despite the best of medical treatments. Recent tests have revealed that I have shoulders that are so disintegrated it’s amazing they still work, knees full of pieces of bone and old blood clots, and osteoporosis.

I have started seeing a new rheumatologist who I hope will more aggressively treat my disease and slow down its progression. I am 42. I told my physician, “My son is 8. I need at least 10 more good years. What can I do to make this happen?”

Despite the detours, I have had the opportunity to build a nonprofit organization of nearly 15 years, to serve those who live with chronic illness, through a Christian foundation of faith. Although I believe God still heals today, He rarely does it according to our schedule. In the meantime, there is a strong need for friendship and support.

Between my family and ministry, I have ample reason to get up out of bed each day and not allow my illness to define me.

I have never given in and allowed it to consume me.

But because I do not enter marathons, audition for reality TV show contests on deserted islands, or sign up for karate class, some people assume I have.

“You’ve just given in to your illness,” I have heard from both strangers and friends. “You need to fight it more.” This is often followed by their specific advice on what I need to do to “fight it.”

What defines “giving in” to your illness? There are a variety of ways that people who do not have an illness define the actions of those who are ill.

1. We are not using the alternative treatment of product that they sell that will make it all go away.

My husband was recently berated by a friend’s wife, “We are so mad at you guys!”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because you won’t try the water!” she replied.
Honestly, I’ve done my research and if I am going to go with a marketing scheme that promotes health benefits for just $200+ a month, it will be the chocolate one. I mean, who doesn’t like chocolate?

2. We are seeking health assistance from doctors or medical specialists.

A friend on recently posted on a social network that he cured himself of a disease by ignoring the “mumbo jumbo of doctors” and asking his dad for advice. He claims he “never gave in.” In his eyes, because I am seeing a rheumatologist with “MD” behind his name, I have chosen to give in. No one cares that my rheumatologist happens to have his own clinic about specialized medicine, and that has written books on the alternative treatments he uses with patients, in addition to Western medicine.

3. We are pacing ourselves.

Chronic illness uses up a great deal of energy and only the one who lives within the body knows what they can and cannot do on particular days. Sometimes we have to give it our best guess and make a choice, not positive if an event will cause us to be tired for twelve hours or four days. When we choose to not attend an outing we’d planned on because we are in deep pain, we frequently hear, “Oh, you are just giving in to your illness. You are letting it control you.” No, we had to make a choice and we did. Healthy people will understand this when they reach about age 80.

4. We are not where someone wants us to be spiritually.

We all grieve, we question, and we sometimes get depressed, regardless of our faith. But if these emotions are noticed by others they are quick to offer the spiritual version of “Don’t worry, be happy.” We are told that we are allowing the sin in our lives to get the better of us and it’s causing our illness. We are not praying consistently, or hard enough, or in the right way. One man recently told me that I needed to try a particular alternative treatment (that he happened to sell) and if I did not, then it was obvious I was just giving in to my illness and really did not want to get well … and that God knew that!

5. We are not doing physical activities that we are expected to do.

If you watch well known magazines written specifically for those with certain illnesses, even they are guilty of featuring people who have the disease but are still able to do extreme physical activities. A person with rheumatoid arthritis may run a 25-mile marathon and are quoted saying, “I chose to never give up.” I have chosen to never give up either, but I am blessed to get my feet into extra-wide diabetic shoes and walk around the grocery store. My own limitations, or those of one who uses a wheelchair each day, is not something that is a measurement of determination or stubbornness about our disease.

Each person who live with a chronic illness knows the daily difficulties in finding a balance between living his life in the fullest way possible, and managing his disease effectively at the same time. There will be many times that our choices do not make sense to people around us. When we hold back from a new treatment or a fun outing, we will be told we are “giving in” and letting our illness define us. And when we take a chance and stretch ourselves, we will be told we are not thinking things through or considering the consequences or risks involved in our choice.

If you live with a chronic illness, only you are capable of making the wisest choice possible based on many factors. If you love someone with an illness, be cautious in sharing your opinion about his or her decisions. If you are genuinely concerned, instead of offering advice, ask questions, such as, “I know you must have given a lot of thought to your decision to (fill in your blank here.) What was it that persuaded you?”

About the Author: Lisa Copen is the author of “Beyond Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend”, founder of National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week and Rest Ministries. She is a sought-after speaker who brings joy, humor, and hope, to those who live with chronic illness, from her own 18-year journey with rheumatoid arthritis. This article was formerly featured at the Huffington Post where you can read 40 comments.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Why Are We Expected to Be Brave in the Face of Illness?

Lisa Copen

The headlines read “Oliver Stone Hails Michael Douglas’ Brave Cancer Fight” and “Brave Brett Michaels wins Celebrity Apprentice.” Even as Belgian action movie actor Jean-Claude Van Damme recovers [this week] from his recent heart attack, I’m sure his friends are saying he is being brave about even the admission of this attack, which came just one day after his 50th birthday while filming a kickboxing movie.

Are those who suffer from stage-four cancer, such as actor Michael Douglas, brave? Are those of us who live with the chaos of chronic illness, such as musician Brett Michaels, who is one of 23 million insulin-dependent diabetics, brave? Are these individuals more courageous than actors Patrick Swayze or Farrah Fawcett, who lost their battles to cancer last year?

Does our society create grand expectations that exemplify bravery and courage as the only acceptable response to an illness crisis? Celebrities coping with health crises are just like the rest of us. They get up each morning and put one foot in front of the other, whether that means an unpleasant medical treatment or going to the grocery store–but these actions are typically photographed and labeled as signs of “bravery.”

I am sympathetic to the friends of celebrities who appear as a guest on a television shows such as The View and are asked to reveal how their celebrity friend with illness is “really doing.” There is no appropriate answer. If someone is truly a friend, as Danny Devito is to Michael Douglas, he is not going to say, “He feels terrible and isn’t looking too hot either.” Instead he will comment on how brave his friend is. It’s a considerate response to an awkward question, and it does contain a hint of truth.

Is there an alternative to being brave?

While there are tools online such as an illness symptom checker, there are few ways to understand how one is coping emotionally with a disease. If those of us with illnesses were to sit in bed and sob uncontrollably, how long would it take until our friends stopped calling us brave and said we were a basket case? Can a good cry be a sign of bravery, too? Who among us is not brave while fighting a disease that threatens to take away our quality of life or life itself?

What exactly is bravery?

The definition of the word “brave” includes possessing or displaying courage, being able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching, and making a fine appearance.

I believe anyone has dealt with the fears of a health crisis certainly has moments of bravery. But let us not forget that emotions are fragile at times; allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and let some emotions through is not only acceptable but a healthy coping tool. Tears do not signify a lack of bravery.

When our loved ones see us look the doctor in the eye and ask, “How long do I have to live?” they are seeing us “make a fine appearance” as the definition of bravery possesses. They may not see the tears that fall uncontrollably in the lonely moments at 3 AM. Brett Michaels’ Rock of Love show may have been a successful indulgence, but when he was fighting for his life, it was his daughter’s fear of growing up without him that “gave me this unsinkable strength,” he declared on Oprah on May 19, 2010. “It gave me this amazing courage to want to survive.”

How does one show bravery in the midst of illness?

In 2009 I spent eight days in the hospital when I contracted the flesh-eating bacteria in an ankle wound that quickly spread up my leg. To be honest, I felt brave at times. I did not shed a single tear. My husband brought my then-five-year-old son to the hospital to play with the electric bed and eat mac-and-cheese from the hospital cafeteria. I gritted my teeth every couple of hours when another medical professional would visit my room with the intent of causing some kind of pain.

So, within the context of the definition of bravery, I made a fine appearance. I don’t know if I possessed courage, but I tried to display it. When faced with danger (like the daily debriding of the wound) I did my best not to flinch. But what choice did I have? The needles, IVs, MRIs, and pain medication disbursement were not in my control. I tried to be brave, but most of the time I was just choosing to “act” brave, despite my fear of the procedures and pain, frustration of the circumstances, and even panic over the possibility of losing a limb or even my life.

Can faking bravery can be enough to get us through?

In conclusion, let us remember that bravery can be a choice. Even if we do not feel courage, we can still seek to display it, we can attempt to face danger without flinching, and we can make a fine appearance. At the same time, let us not forget that we are human beings who were designed to feel fear, need affirmation and loving support, and shed tears. For myself, this is intertwined with my faith in God and knowing when to surrender to the emotions and when to surrender them over. Finding the right balance between putting on a brave front, and being true to our own emotions is, I believe, one of the best coping tools we can discover for the journey of chronic illness.

Bravery comes in many forms, not all of them gallant or daunting tasks. Michael Douglas’ films list is likely not important to him at the moment. Despite side effects of treatment for stage-four cancer, he recently walked his daughter to school, reveling in the moment that he was able to do so and wanting to treasure the simple moments. His bravery came in venturing out into the public eye, where his appearance and strength could be observed and discussed. Each of us must decide our own definition of bravery, and for those of us who know how much we suffer in silence, it may be as simple as making a fine appearance and then being our true selves around those we love and trust the most.

About the Author: Lisa Copen is the founder of National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week and Rest Ministries, the largest Christian organization that specifically serves the chronically ill. This article was formerly featured at the Huffington Post and received 245 comments before comments were closed. See some of the interesting discussion at the Huff Post.

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Healing Words

Deanna Nichols

“The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” -Proverbs 12:18

Yesterday I had a great conversation with a health and fitness coach with whom I recently started working. Not only did she give me some great ideas to work toward my personal goals, but I also found myself leaving the conversation with a lot more hope than I’ve felt in a long time. It’s interesting I should be so hopeful because I’m really having a tough time physically right now. And we also spent a fair amount of time discussing my past history of chronic illness, a topic that usually drains me and makes me sad.

Instead, she was able to focus on the accomplishments I’ve made in the past two years toward a healthier me.

I later realized my coach did a simple yet powerful thing: she used her words to bring healing–healing to my spirit and even to my body. After we spoke I was more inspired to remain on the path of a healthy lifestyle, and I was so energized by hope that I went ahead and started my new exercise program that I’ve been putting off for months because I didn’t feel well enough to try. Which, in turn, inspired me to eat healthy and work out again today. And maybe I’m imagining things, but my current flaring health symptoms seem to be better too.

Recently I’ve had a lot of reckless words spoken into my life and my health situation. Well-meaning family members, friends, and doctors have said things that to some degree, robbed me of hope, faith, and joy. It’s been a fierce battle in my heart to fight off the constant barrage of negativity their words created. What a contrast with my experience yesterday!

This is a great lesson for all of us. Before we share that “helpful” idea or something “the Lord laid on our heart” that our loved one “needs” to hear, let’s ask ourselves if we are planting seeds of hope and healing or if we are truly piercing them with the sword of our reckless words.

“Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141:3)

About the Author: Deanna Nichols is a woman of faith searching for purpose in the midst of a lifetime of physical illness and pain. She has been diagnosed with narcolepsy with cataplexy, polycystic ovarian disease, Hashimoto’s thyroid disease, and many others. Her chronic illnesses make it impossible for her to work or even drive, so she is mostly home-bound. She is on the Board of Directors for her family’s commercial lawn maintenance business, is an avid reader and book reviewer, and uses social networking to encourage people with chronic illness, educate those without illness, as well as to share what she’s learned regarding natural health. She lives in Northeast Florida with her husband of 12 years and their 5 furry children. Read Deanna’s blog A Fragile Faith.

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PRODUCT REVIEW: Skeptical People In Charge? Wear a Bracelet!

Each Thursday we’re going to do a product review of one of our
awareness items!

This week our featured products are “easy things to wear when you need to ‘prove’ you have a chronic illness.”

Just this summer I asked to take a short cut through the county fair entrance line and then wait for my family to walk the maze before entering. The man guarding the gate beside the big blue handicapped sign, however, looked at me skeptically.

All I said was, “I have rheumatoid arthritis and would like to save myself a few steps. Could I wait for my family here?” He looked at me for proof of my illness. “Do you have a handicapped placard?” he asked, as if my husband would pull it out of his pocket.

My husband said, “Well, we do… but we parked in the disabled section… so it’s in the car.” The man really didn’t want to let me in, but finally relented. And as he did I thought, “I’d wish I’d worn my silicone bracelet!”

2 items we love that may save you a bit of heartache (and a few steps too) are the National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week White Silicone Bracelets and the “dog tag” necklace.

The next time you’re going somewhere where you think you may just need to use the elevator (and everyone says, “This is for wheelchairs and strollers only,” just smile and say, “Yes, I know. I have an invisible illness and feel more comfortable taking the elevator, thanks.”

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Invisible Illness Week Now Accepting Articles For This Site

We have now opened up over submission page for articles and blogs to be featured on this website in the coming two months. I am looking forward to hearing your feedback on what it is like to live with a chronic condition that is invisible.

To submit your complete article, bio, and photo, click on the link above that says “Submit Article.”

Here are some of the topics we are looking for and your post should be trained 300 and 750 words.

• Our theme this year is “Deep Breath, Start Fresh” – what does this to you and how you live chronic illness?

What has your experience been in coping with…

• Physical needs that are not apparent to others because you look well
• Expectations from those around you, from your spouse to your boss, because you look well
• How your children perceive your chronic condition
• How you choose to reveal or not reveal the seriousness of your illness
• How you deal with your illness on a daily basis. When it is invisible is easier to deny the seriousness of it?
• The looks. . . when you park in a handicapped spot legally to when you explain your unable to walk very far
• Still finding joy in life despite some limitations
• How physicians and other medical care professionals don’t even understand that your pain is quite invisible
• How do have sought to bring awareness about invisible illness as in healthcare advocate
• How you have tried to explain to your loved ones about having invisible illnesses or a hidden disability
• and the list goes on!

We are eager to hear from you about the emotions of living with a chronic condition, how you have found yourself dealing with difficult circumstances, how you overcome the need to stay in bed and hide from the world are most difficult days, what ever is on your mind!

Before you submit your article you should have a third person biographies ready to go that is less than 150 words and contained only one week. If you submit more than this it will be edited and you may not be pleased with which part we keep. Please do not submit a link to your article on your website but rather the actual article, which you will copy and paste into our form. If it does not have the article in the form, it will be deleted.

And if you are talking about your illness or Invisible Illness Week we hope you will join our Bloggers Unite group so that other people can be sure to visit your website and read your postings.

Thank you so much,
Lisa Copen

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Does Michaele Salahi’s admission of living with MS help or hinder awareness about invisible illness or multiple sclerosis?

I am thrilled to announce that I recently had this blog post, “Does Michaele Salahi’s admission of living with MS help or hinder awareness about invisible illness or multiple sclerosis?” ran over at the Huffington Post. Please be sure to visit and leave a comment to help us increase awareness of invisible illness issues.

Lisa Copen
Invisible Illness Week Founder

Related articles

• NOT WELL: Salahi reveals MS diagnosis (politico.com)
• Lisa Copen: Does “Housewife” Michaele Salahi’s Confession of MS Help or Hinder Illness Awareness Issues? (huffingtonpost.com)
• Michaele Salahi Has Multiple Sclerosis (thehollywoodgossip.com)

Popularity: 10% [?]

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