National Invisible Illness Awareness Week is from Sept. 9-15, 2013. Lisa Copen of Rest Ministries, who also lives with an invisible illness herself, organized the first Awareness Week in 2002. Since its inception, more and more groups and individuals have become involved in this worthy undertaking.
According to SBWire.com, almost 50 percent of all Americans have a chronic condition, and many of these conditions are invisible. Such illnesses are everywhere, but ... they are invisible, unless you know a little something about the people living with such illnesses, you aren't going to see it.
The neighbor who seems lazy, the cousin who won't get a job, the friend who never wants to go out for lunch ... maybe they aren't disinterested slackers. Maybe they are grappling with a condition that has them tied to their homes or their beds, prevents them from talking on the phone or helping at events.
Some people are able to work, and manage to carry on a semblance of a life. Because they are able to go to work, and perhaps take care of basics like buying groceries and doing housework, others may assume that they are fine, and completely miss the fact that these folks could use some help and some encouragement.
It's tough to live this way, and to be subsequently misunderstood by so many healthy people. I know because I have an invisible illness. I live with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) which also goes by the ridiculous name chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). I have been the sick person who was bedridden and ignored, and after my condition improved, moved on to being the sick person who works, and so is assumed to be fine and healthy.
The goal of Awareness Week is to unite those who are ill into a community, as well as to educate healthy people, encouraging them to reach out to the sick with support.
What are some of these invisible conditions?
Caryn Cook, BSN, RN, put together a list of some of them in an EmpowHER article from Sept. 13, 2010 which included arthritis, back pain, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, hearing loss, multiple sclerosis, pulmonary hypertension and vision loss.
Lyme disease, epilepsy, narcolepsy, ADHD, Crohn's disease, diabetes, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, vertigo, sleep disorders and respiratory issues are just a few other invisible conditions people live with.
According to Invisibleillnessweek.com, this year the theme for National Invisible Illness Awareness Week is "I choose to ______"
The website said, "Invisible illness isn’t a choice. But your visible hope is! You don’t have control over whether you are ill or not, but there are so many things to do have the ability to choose.
"So, what do you choose?"
The website encourages those who are ill as well as those who are not, to participate in raising awareness by contributing photos, tweeting, blogging or posting on social media.
In the past there has been a virtual conference and while this year there won't be a conference, last year's seminars are still available to be viewed.
Lisa Copen has issued an invitation to everyone to take part in the daily chat sessions on their Facebook page.
Chats are live at 11 a.m. PST/2 p.m. EST every day except Friday. On Friday, chat will be at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST. If you can't make it for live chat, everything will be there to read later as well.
All are invited to take part in some way this week. It's time to bring invisible illnesses into the light.
Sources:
National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week. Empowher.com. Retrieved Sept. 9, 2013.
https://www.empowher.com/emotional-health/content/national-invisible-chr...
Invisible Illness Awareness Week Features 5 Chats This Week. SBWire.com. Retrieved Sept. 9, 2013.
http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/invisible-illness-awareness-week-fe...
Our Daily Chats Start Monday for Invisible Illness Awareness Week. Restministries.com. Retrieved Sept. 9, 2013. http://restministries.com/2013/09/08/our-daily-chats-start-monday-for-in...
Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week Was September 10-16, 2012. Retrieved Sept. 9, 2013.
https://www.empowher.com/wellness/content/invisible-chronic-illness-awar...
Visit Jody's website at http://www.ncubator.ca
Reviewed September 10, 2013
by Michele Blacksberg RN