Say Goodbye to the Version of Me You Knew: A Letter to Friends & Family of Chronically Ill People

For years I’ve heard stories from my chronically ill friends of loved ones who abandoned them or who refused to believe that their illness was real. So, I wanted to write a letter to the friends & family of chronically ill people. 

Is Dissociative Identity Disorder Divergent or Disordered?

I believe having DID falls under the neurodivergent umbrella, but at the same time it is a mental illness that can cause a great deal of distress. So, is Dissociative Identity Disorder divergent or disordered? 

Squat and Poop: The Art of Adaptation

CN: bathroom talk The story of how the piece you’re about to read came into my inbox is one of the more serendipitous moments that I’ve experienced. I was listening to Mugabi’s episode of the podcast No End In Sight, a podcast about chronic illness, and I was struck by how unique and compelling his story was. When I learned that he was a writer, I knew I needed to contact him and ask if …Read More

How Mast Cell Activation Disorder Changed My Life

CN: extensive and detailed discussion of chronic illness symptoms such as nausea, brain fog, and difficulty eating; discussion of weight loss   One day, after taking a short walk, I had a strange health episode. I was incredibly exhausted, totally disproportionate to the amount of walking I had done. I sat down in the chair in the kitchen as soon as I got in, too tired to go all the way to my bedroom, and then …Read More

Why I Stopped Taking Gabapentin

I am updating and republishing some of my early articles from this blog. Please enjoy this article, originally published under the title “Color” in March of 2017, about the early days of my chronic pain journey.  CN: extensive discussion of the experience of anxiety, chronic pain, medication side effects, and medical neglect. Duloxetine was the first pain medication my doctor ever prescribed me, an anti-depressant that can sometimes help with pain.  A year after I …Read More

9 Things That Blocked My Access to Medical Treatment

This is a new version of an article that was originally published as “26,” about the early attempts to diagnose the cause of my chronic pain and other symptoms, and the many ways my access to medical treatment was blocked for years prior.

“Needing Extra Care Doesn’t Make You a Burden” Got a Glow-up!

Back when we first started designing and releasing our own original designs for merch, in August 2020,  our very first design was the simple drawing of an orchid with the words “Needing Extra Care Doesn’t Make You a Burden.” After doing a few more designs, we learned a lot more about how to do digital art, what our style was, and how to make art that prints well. After a while, our first piece seemed …Read More