Invisible Illness Week Awareness Grows Through Ill Bloggers
The statistics about the prevalence of chronic illness are stunning. Nearly 1 in 2 people in the USA are living with a chronic illness and the U.S Census Bureau reports that about 96% of the illnesses are invisible. Hundreds of thousands of people on the Internet search for health information and support for their illness, so it’s no surprise that thousands of bloggers now post daily messages on their blogs about coping with the emotional challenges of living with constant chronic pain and illness.
National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week, September 8-14, 2008, will include, as an element of their outreach, thirty days of guest bloggers, as well as bloggers all over the web posting about invisible illness issues. One situation many chronically ill people experience is the skeptical and critical looks they receive when they park in a handicapped parking spot, despite that they are doing so legally.
Bloggers all over the world are joining the organizers of Invisible Illness Week to show their support through their blogs. A participation badge “I’m blogging for Invisible Illness Awareness Week” is available for download and bloggers are also publicly thanked each Friday on the Invisible Illness Week blog, getting the added benefit of extra exposure for their own blog. Bloggers are encouraged to post at any time, but the Invisible Illness Week committee is also asking them to post on September 8th to create awareness at the beginning of the week.
Lisa Copen, who founded National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week in 2002 says, “Though we live with thousands of different illnesses, we have more in common than not. For example, illness impacts our families, careers, finances and daily living, to name a few. We can all learn from one another and share during this journey.” She adds, “And frankly, people are tired of hearing, ‘But you look so good!’ and they want others to know that their illness is legitimate despite how well they seem to be holding it all together.”
Laurie Edwards is the author of a recently published book called, “Life Disrupted: Getting Real About Chronic Illness in Your Twenties and Thirties.” She has blogged about her illness since 2006 and says, “When you are a young adult, people expect you to put in long hours to establish a career, to jump into the dating world, and to build a life for yourself. But they certainly don’t expect you to be sick. There’s no such thing as ‘too young’ to be sick! That is just one of the many reasons why Invisible Illness Week is so important!”
If you would like to join this unique opportunity to blog for awareness about invisible illnesses, see www.invisibleillness.wordpress.com . You can also receive updates, participate in surveys, win prizes, and find out more about the telephone workshops at the Invisible Illness Week web site: www.invisibleillness.com .
The 2008 National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week, September 8-14, 2008, has announced this year\'s theme: \"Hope Can Grow From the Soil of Illness.\"...
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