Announcing #ChronicJourneys: My New Talk Show
Getting to know others and hearing their stories is one of my favourite things, ever. There are so many fascinating people who have found ways to live with and around rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other types of chronic illness and I want to talk to all of them! About how they manage their condition, but…
8 Practical Ways You Can Help Someone with Chronic Illness
When you have a chronic illness, asking for help can feel like a mine field. Likewise, if you want to help someone you care about who has a chronic illness, offering it has its own challenges. But finding a way to help and accept help can start to build bridges of understanding, of connection, and…
Accessibility Wins (and We Meet the Prime Minister)
This past Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the federal government is giving Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) $1.34 billion for repairs. And! 20 percent of that is earmarked to improve accessibility. And I got to meet him. But more on that later. The National Housing Strategy and accessibility You have read about the…
When Bodies Break: New Book from the Chronic Illness Community
I am proud to bursting of being a contributor to the exciting new book, When Bodies Break: How we survive and thrive with illness and disability. In it, thirty-two inspiring and resilient chronic illness warriors share their stories of struggle, strength and survival. When Bodies Break is the brainchild of Cam B. Auxer, the woman…
Get Savvy — a New Movement for Patient Insights
Chronic illness advocacy is pretty much a patchwork and not always as pretty as a quilt. Each condition has its own way of being engaged in feedback to organizations and actually connecting is very much a matter of luck. Savvy Cooperative is changing that. What Is Savvy? “Savvy is an online platform that acts like…
Changing the National Building Code for an Inclusive Canada
I have never visited my sister’s home. I have never been to my partner’s home. If my friends are having a party, I can’t go. My partner and I can’t live together. Housing in Canada is usually not accessible to people who use wheelchairs. It contributes to isolation — you might even call it segregation…
CAPA Creates New Methotrexate Tool for People with Inflammatory Arthritis
Dawn Richards presenting the CAPA methotraxate tool at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology “We all have a story about methotrexate,” said Dawn Richards, Vice President of the Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance (CAPA) Steering Committee. This medication has been around for a long time and is considered the gold standard for treatment of inflammatory arthritis….
For Grace Works to Implement National Pain Strategy in California
Cynthia Toussaint at the 2017 For Grace Summit. For Grace is a wonderful organization that focuses on improving the lives of women who live with pain. I recently interviewed the founder of For Grace, Cynthia Toussaint, about a new project. Last year at your annual Women in Pain conference, For Grace started a two-year program…