Invisible Illness?
What’s an invisible illness, you ask? Well, if you have a chronic illness, and someone has said to you,"But, you don’t look sick", then you may have an invisible illness! You don’t carry crutches or wear a brace, but you still have to live with it every day. This might include diabetes, migraine, chronic back pain, endometriosis, depression, or multiple sclerosis.
Why do I bring this up? Not just because I have migraine, but because I know many of you are also living with an invisible illness. This is a week to get together and talk about it – it’s Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week…
This week (actually starting Monday) is hosted by Rest Ministries, an excellent Christian ministry run by volunteers that reaches out to the many people whose lives are impacted by chronic illness. The week features online chats with speakers, doctors, and authors, covering topics like:
- Parenting When You Have a Chronic illness
- Invisible Disabilities: But You LOOK Good! / Statistics / What to Say / What Not to Say / How to Help?
- Taking a Stand: How to Avoid Medical Mistakes
- Touching Lives for God… in Sickness and in Health
You can read more about the online conferences here. If you have or know anyone with a chronic illness, you may at least want to check out the transcripts of these chats after the fact if you can be there at the time.
Meanwhile, spread the word (scroll down the page)! And if you can’t wait, you can check out other articles, like…