Invisible Illness Awareness Week is dedicated to the millions of people who struggle with invisible illnesses and disabilities. The week of Sept. 28 - Oct. 4, 2015, is a significant one for this very special group of people.
They are hoping that able-bodied people will listen to what they have to say, and experience a great understanding of what they deal with every day of their lives.
Invisible Illness Awareness Week has been on the calendar since 2002, conceived and created by Lisa Copen, who has suffered from chronic invisible illness for many years. Copen has run a website for those with chronic illnesses called Rest Ministries since 1997.
In 2002, Copen organized her volunteers to help in the running of chat rooms for Invisible Illness Awareness Week. Starting in 2003, speakers made themselves available for a virtual conference. Later there would be Blog Talk Radio podcast conferences.
The first photo campaign was held in 2012. The Invisible Illness Awareness Week that year was spotlighted on the CNN Health webpage. Lisa was a chat guest on their Facebook page.
The 2012 conference for Invisible Illness Awareness Week has been viewed 60,000 times since then.
In 2013, guests presided over discussions on the Facebook page. In 2014, a video virtual conference was held.
Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr and Twitter have been versatile and fruitful arenas for those with invisible illnesses.
The theme for the 2015 campaign is "Invisible Fight." And that is exactly what this is all about.
Here are just a few of the invisible illnesses and disabilities experienced by almost 50 percent of Americans, according to Disabled-world.com: ADHD, allergies, asthma, autism, brain injuries, ME/CFS, celiac disease, Crohn's disease, depression, diabetes, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, IBS, lupus ...
Trust me, it's a very long list and I don't have room for it here.
Illness and disability can often bring with them misunderstanding and dismissal from others.
It's simple, really. An invisible illness or disability is not readily evident to other people. They don't see, or don't understand the enormity of the cognitive difficulties, dizziness, pain, fatigue, vertigo and other incapacitating symptoms.
Sometimes other people can jump to some unpleasant conclusions.
Most people with an invisible condition have dealt, in varying degrees, with intolerance, condescension and even hostility, from others who disbelieve them. They also deal with the intensely difficult thoughts and emotions they experience as a result of this rejection.
A woman with MS is accused of being drunk in the middle of the day. A man with arthritis is berated for parking in a handicap spot.
You are frowned upon when you must say no to helping at your child's school. You are shunned because you aren't working. You are berated about your special dietary needs at get-togethers. Your request for a quiet room to rest in is ridiculed.
Can't manage to make it to the get-togethers? Or are they too difficult because of neurological issues or exhaustion? Maybe you can't drive and nobody wants to pick you up. Maybe you can't afford the trip financially.
You may be the subject of uncomplimentary talk by family members or friends who assume you are uninterested or that you feel superior.
Not everyone who makes wrong assumptions about your character and your ambition is being hardnosed. Sometimes people just don't realize what the real situation is. And when they do, it can make all the difference. Some of those people can become your new best friend or advocate.
That's where Invisible Illness Awareness Week comes in. That is one of the valuable aspects of the Week.
Another priceless outcome is that people with invisible illnesses, who have in the past been sidelined and rendered as invisible as their disabilities, now are able to speak up and be heard.
Internet, take a bow.
The vehicle of the Internet is being crammed and crowded with people who have had a lifetime of feeling swept aside and belittled. If they are fortunate enough to have a computer and can get online, and are able to type or dictate their words, they are able to enter a forum and arena that didn't exist till just a few years ago.
Many are lying flat on their backs, or propped up in bed, or on a couch, when they type. Many of those can only type for a few minutes, then must collapse on their beds, breathing and resting from the exertion.
Maybe they can only manage to type or to read online for a few minutes a day. I used to be one of those people. You might be amazed how many people live this way.
But now they have their foothold. They have the portal into a larger world, where typed words or words dictated can appear magically on screens in front of an astonishing number of people. And with the help of the Internet, in an increasingly united front, they continue to wage the invisible fight.
Sources:
My Invisible Fight: Invisible Illness Week. Invisibleillnessweek.com. Retrieved Oct. 1, 2015.
http://invisibleillnessweek.com
Chronically Ill Unite to Spread Awareness of Invisible Illness. Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved Oct. 1, 2015.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-copen/invisible-illness-awareness-wee...
Invisible Disabilities: List & Information. Disabled-world.com. Retrieved Oct. 1, 2015.
http://www.disabled-world.com/disability/types/invisible
Invisible Illness Awareness Week on Facebook. Facebook.com. Retrieved Oct. 1, 2015.
https://www.facebook.com/InvisibleIllnessWeek
Invisible Illness Week on Pinterest. Pinterest.com. Retrieved Oct. 1, 2015.
https://www.pinterest.com/restministries/invisible-illness-week
National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week
https://www.empowher.com/emotional-health/content/national-invisible-chr...
Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week Was September 10-16, 2012
https://www.empowher.com/wellness/content/invisible-chronic-illness-awar...
National Invisible Illness Awareness Week: Sept. 9-15, 2013
https://www.empowher.com/wellness/content/national-invisible-illness-awa...
Visit Jody's website at http://www.ncubator.ca and http://ncubator.ca/blogger
Reviewed October 2, 2015
by Michele Blacksberg RN