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Reading a review of the book you’ve written is always a nerve-racking moment. It doesn’t matter if you know the reviewer and figure they’re not going to cut you to shreds because they are a nice person. It is still a nerve-racking experience. Mariah Leach of From This Point. Forward has written a review of Chronic Christmas for RheumatoidArthritis.net and turned it into a lovely experience. Thank you very much, Mariah!

“The holiday season is a time for joy – but it can also be a very stressful time, particularly if you are living with a chronic illness. Lene Andersen is a writer, health and disability advocate, and photographer who has lived with rheumatoid arthritis since early childhood. In her newest book, Chronic Christmas: Surviving the Holidays with a Chronic Illness, Andersen provides “an Advent calendar of tips for a sane holiday season.”

For each of the 25 days leading up to Christmas, Andersen has a chapter that discusses a source of holiday stress and provides practical tips for enjoying yourself anyways. One of my favorite things about the book is that it is addressed to individuals living with chronic illnesses and their loved ones. Each chapter starts out with a section dedicated to readers living with a chronic illness, followed by a section with suggestions for how loved ones can help too. Personally, I also particularly love how all of her suggestions come with a healthy dose of humor to make them more digestible!”

Read the rest of Mariah’s Chronic Christmas review on RheumatoidArthritis.net.