-
Q&A on chronic illness: “Opening up to friends about my health problems was scary but so worth it.”
What I love most about this invisible illness interview is how it illustrates that when chronic illness takes something away from us, God can still provide new and amazing opportunities.
Cam is a 20-something with chronic pelvic pain, PCOS, Scoliosis, and other conditions. She shares how an unexpected and painful diagnosis led her and her husband to pursue a ministry they hadn’t previously considered—becoming foster parents to kids and teens.
Did you know pelvic floor disorders affect about 1 in 4 women in the US? (x) And 1 in 10 women have polycystic ovarian syndrome, aka PCOS. (x) Unfortunately it’s often considered taboo to talk about health issues that only impact women, but, as Cam points out, they’re more common than many people realize.
-
Q&A with Olivia Wolfertz: “I would encourage someone going through a chronic illness to see themselves as valuable and brave even despite their limits.”
Olivia Wolfertz runs the blog Unpolished Ponderings, where she shares her love of Jesus and creativity, plus a hopeful outlook on life with chronic illness. I feel so blessed that this Invisible Illness, Visible Worth interview project continues to let me connect with kindred spirits who love stories, creating, and writing!
Olivia created her blogging platform a few years ago as a way to document and cope with her illnesses, including Lyme disease. It’s grown into an outlet where she loves to share what she’s been making lately and what’s encouraging her.
-
Q&A with Beth Madison: “You are more than your disease. You can be defined by your disease or you can be defined by trusting God with your disease.”
Beth Madison teaches biology at Union University and is a patient advocate through Global Healthy Living Foundation. Over the last eight years, her health journey has included rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, as well as other chronic illness.
I love the story Beth shares in this interview about friends who are wonderful examples of what it looks like to faithfully support someone with invisible illness, as well as her examples of how God proves Himself trustworthy over and over again.
I hope you’re encouraged by this conversation with Beth on chronic illness, faith, and perseverance.
-
Q&A with author Daphne Self: “Never give up. There is always someone out there that understands.”
Daphne Self is an author whose books include fiction, a devotional, and soon, a book about living well with chronic illness. In this interview, Daphne shares how she uses her love of writing to encourage others and point them to Jesus, all while dealing with one of the worst cases of fibromyalgia pain her doctor has seen.
Daphne’s fourth book was just released this June. You can check out Alabama Days, the second book in a series, here. The book follows a paramedic, who has seen too much suffering to believe God can be good, and a reporter who both get caught up investigating a series of suspicious accidents.
Her nonfiction book on chronic illness will be available this fall—it will chronicle the ups and downs she went through when she was first diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic pain.
I hope you’re encouraged by this conversation with Daphne on chronic illness, faith, and perseverance.
-
Q&A with blogger Hailey Hudson: “Suffering and joy really can and do coexist.”
I love that the Internet provides us with so many opportunities to connect with and be encouraged by fellow writers, and I’m excited to introduce you to Hailey Hudson, whose interests include blogging, freelancing, and fiction writing. She lives with health conditions including POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), carpal tunnel, and undiagnosed conditions causing chronic fatigue, seizures, and GI issues. (Raising awareness about POTS is of personal importance to me, as I also have a form of dysautonomia, an umbrella term for neurological conditions like POTS.)
Hailey is a full-time freelance writer and content marketer who runs the blog The Hardworking Creative. You can also find her on her personal blog, Now All I Know is Grace. I love that she shares monthly wrap-ups highlighting what she’s reading, listening to, watching, grateful for, and more
Earlier this year, Hailey spoke at the 2020 Diamonds Conference, which is an online conference for chronically ill Christians. (I didn’t get to go this year, but it’s something I learned about recently and hope to attend in the future. More info about it below!)
I hope you’re encouraged by this conversation with Hailey on chronic illness, faith, and perseverance.
-
Q&A with Jenna Ziegler “I thought I was letting go of my dream job. Turns out, this decision led me to this new career that brings me joy I didn’t know possible.”
A few years ago, I was planning to start a writers’ group, but due to my health changing unexpectedly, I was never able to get one up and running. So I was pleasantly surprised when blogging made that happen in a way I didn’t expect. Blogging allows me to connect with other writers, and I get especially excited when those writers love the creative side of writing, like fiction and poetry. That’s one of the reasons I’m thrilled to be able to introduce you to Jenna Ziegler, a chronic illness blogger and aspiring novelist.
Jenna runs the blog The Comical Colon, where she shares her medical journey in a comical light to encourage others to share their unique health journeys. When I found her blog, I immediately sent a link to a friend who was recently diagnosed with colitis because I knew she could benefit from Jenna’s informative and upbeat writing.
When chronic illness threatened her opportunities to have the schooling and career she desired, Jenna found that her health also brought new options for pursuing her love of writing. She’s been blogging since March 2018 and she’s also an aspiring author. Jenna shares about her writing journey (including participating in NaNoWriMo) plus numerous helpful chronic illness resources in this interview.
I hope you’re encouraged by this conversation with Jenna on chronic illness, faith, and perseverance.
-
Q&A with Kelly J. Aalseth “Living with Fibromyalgia has been a way for God to constantly remind me that he is my place of safety”
Kelly J. Aalseth recently published her first book! Congratulations Kelly! You can find her book “Keeper of Your Life: Actively Trusting Jesus Through Chronic Pain” on Amazon. This book focuses less on the medical side of chronic pain, and more on how to practically turn to Jesus in the midst of longsuffering.
She also runs the blog Behind Pained Faces about life and faith with fibromyalgia. I’ve been enjoying reading her insights, especially in this blog post: “On annoyingly happy people, jealousy, and real joy.”
I hope you’re encouraged by this conversation with Kelly on chronic illness, faith, and perseverance.
-
Q&A with Richelle Heacock: “Keep fighting! You never know when your breakthrough will come.”
Richelle Heacock runs a YouTube channel focused on awareness of disabilities, with an emphasis on spreading hope and love. Her video discussing viewer questions about how to interact with someone with a disability or someone who uses a wheelchair is very informative and insightful.
A car accident in 2010 left Richelle paralyzed, impacting her life and her identity as an athlete. Richelle worked as a volleyball coach for the first seven years following her accident, and is now focusing on her health and sharing her experiences and wisdom on YouTube.
I hope you’re encouraged by this conversation with Richelle on chronic illness, faith, and perseverance.
