Chronic Babe

So I'm a "chronic babe" - a title that makes me smile and feel proud at the same (which is precisely the point). It was coined on one of my favorite websites, Chronicbabe.com. Jenni, a wonderful "chronic babe" herself has been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Asthma among other conditions. Instead of dwelling on this reality, she has found a way to transform her thinking and and the thinking of anyone who visits her awesome site. She writes:

"One of my biggest frustrations has been the frequent disbelief I encounter when I explain my condition to people. "You're way too young to feel that way!" is a common refrain. "But you look fine," is another. My favorite has to be, "I'm so sorry. That is so sad." Raise your hand if you've heard this before. Maddening, isn't it? Yes, I am young. Yes, I look fine. And yes, it is sad. But as time passes, I choose more often to focus on the positive: I am creative, and I have choices. And even when I'm cramping and blubbering and whining, I'm still a hottie."

I admire Jenni's strength, humor, and positive outlook in the face of illness. I can definitely say that she makes all of us babes better by just being there. She also organizes a "Blog Carnival" - a "biweekly collection of some of the best women health & medicine bloggers around." Each carnival focuses on a specific topic relating to chronic illness and each post offers a new perspective, be it hilarious, moving or anything else under the moon. If you're interested in submitting a blog entry for consideration, write to jenni@chronicbabe.com. The carnival goes live every other Tuesday and the post should be sent by midnight on the Sunday before including your name, the title of your blog, the title of your post, and 1-2 sentences about its relevance.

The topic of the last blog carnival was "Favorite Tips, Tools and Tricks", so click here to see the awesome entries. I felt proud that my post, "The Most Natural Medicine", was included under the header "When all else fails, there's humor".

Oh, and along with maaaany other fantastic resources Jenni has on her site - anything from information for family and friends to fashion sites for chronic babes - I found these hilarious T-shirts about arthritis (along with many other conditions): Med-Tees. My personal favorite is the "Snap, Crackle and Pop" T-shirt. Thanks for all you do Jenni! :)

Love,

Maya