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Q&A with Carole Griffitts: “Our passion is to help people know they can thrive” with invisible disability
I’m excited to introduce you to author and blogger Carole Griffitts, who just coauthored a book about chronic illness and invisible disability with her husband Joe. Their book Sunbreaks in Unending Storms, based on their story and the stories of three other families, shares encouragement and information about living with invisible disabilities.
I so appreciate when sisters in Christ with more life experience than me are willing to share their hard-earned wisdom. Carole has lived with chronic health conditions for more than 40 years, and she and her husband have been married for (almost!) 55 years. “Connected Carole” also runs the blog Navigating the Storms for people living with invisible disability, their families, and their caregivers.
I hope you’re encouraged by this conversation with Carole on chronic illness, faith, and perseverance.
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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.
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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.
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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.
