Journaling With Chronic Illness: My Favourite Supplies
Journaling can be a wonderful way to process your feelings around chronic illness, as well as a creative outlet that doesn’t need you to use a lot of energy or movement. Win-win, right? At its core, journaling is about thoughts, a pen and a notebook — or your phone or computer, if handwriting is difficult….
Vaccine rollout is excluding people with disabilities
I am not here to debate the COVID-19 vaccine — I desperately want it. As someone who takes immunosuppressant medication, have a disability, and receive attendant care, I am high risk for getting COVID-19 and to have a severe case. I qualify and am eligible for the vaccine. Yet somehow, I can’t get it. I channelled…
COVID-19 and the forgotten disability community
The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare how profoundly devalued disabled lives and experiences are. The latest article from the Disability in Health team — of which I am a proud member — has been published in Healthy Debate: “People living with disabilities have long been accustomed to asking for inclusion without results: We needed telehealth…
January 2021 Chronic Journeys with My Guest Toni Bernhard
I was so honoured (and fangirling) when seminal chronic illness author Toni Bernhard agreed to join me on the first Chronic Journeys of the year! We talk about Toni’s new pocket version of How to Be Sick, the magic of the three breaths technique, and other ways to make life with chronic illness just a…
February 2021 Chronic Journeys with My Guest Daniel P. Malito
On the latest episode of Chronic Journeys, I talk to Daniel P. Malito about growing up with juvenile arthritis, stretch marks and opioids! Get Dan’s book So Young: A Life Lived with Rheumatoid Arthritis. This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on the link and make a purchase, I may receive a small…
Emergency Preparedness with a Chronic Illness or Disability
Updated April 20, 2024 Big and scary emergencies are thankfully rare occurrences, but when they happen, those of us who live with chronic illness and disability may have challenges that others don’t experience. Part of your emergency plan will be the same as your healthy and able-bodied neighbours, but you will also need to make…
How to Have Happier Holidays With RA
The holiday season is wonderful and the holiday season is really hard when you have a chronic illness. This year, give yourself the gift of better mental health and fewer flare days by keeping this season simple. Learn how it my new column for HealthCentral: “Joy to the world, the holidays are almost here! It…
How I Use Gratitude to Live Well With RA
Let’s pull no punches: living with rheumatoid arthritis is really difficult. Figuring out how to create a good life nonetheless requires a lot of coping skills. In my new column for HealthCentral, I share what works for me. “Gratitude. It’s a lovely concept, trotted out for the Thanksgiving table and inspiring Instagram posts in beautiful…
Your Must-Watch List of Disability-Friendly Movies
Movies and television reflect our lives, but when they don’t show all of us — or worse, cast other people to play a particular group — it strengthens stereotype and discrimination. In my latest column for HealthCentral, I dive into disability in the movies and add a list of my favourites: “When I watch movies…
COVID Diary: The Kindness of Strangers
We live in strange times in everyday life has become a difficult. COVID-19 has revealed the of the underbelly of a lot of things in our society, but the pandemic has also shown just how wonderful people can be. If you need a reminder of the good in the world, check out my new column…
What Disability Pride Means to Me
This month is Disability Pride Month and this year, it’s getting traction! What is it and why is it important? Read my new column on HealthCentral: “I know a lot of women whose rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has affected their hands, and it has taken a social toll. I see them hiding their hands under the…
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…