writing through chronic illness
I’m sitting in the waiting room at my nephrologist’s office and staring at the large bulletin board beside the reception desk. The board contains pictures and descriptions of various kidney …
Up, Up and Away by Judith Morrison Read More
Look both ways before crossing the street, always chew before you swallow, don’t talk to strangers. These are the first basic lessons I learned from my parents. As I grew …
I Don’t Know by Lindsey Schaffer Read More
During dinner recently, my ten-year-old son Ryan told me his fifth-grade class was learning about communicable diseases. It was a hard word to say, and he struggled to pronounce it …
Questions without Answers by Wendy Kennar Read More
On the radiation table, there is a moment when I can see the top part of my body outlined by green light. This is not the first time this year …
Radiate Me Read More
When I was 14, I shaved one of my eyebrows off. In an impatient attempt to become beautiful, my hand slipped. After blinking a few times in the three-way mirror, …
Undiagnosed by Ashley Wylie Read More
Advantage: I am a student of the Earth, reading old folklore about which herbs help rheumatism, investigating bird species and their usual habitat ranges. Understanding patterns doesn’t require anything but …
Stories of Apocalypse, or Survival Fantasies by Audrey Carroll Read More
They say a person with chronic illness only has so many spoons to get through each day. Each action, each sentence, each movement takes a spoon away, and when the …
I Do Not Talk About Spoons by Rachael Dickzen Read More
By Kelli C. Trinoskey Next to my desk at work, there is a picture of me with my three daughters standing in front of stone formations of South Dakota’s Badlands. …
Before or After the Fall Read More
By Marissa Spear Point six of the Black Panther Party’s 1972 iteration of the Ten-Point Program clearly states: We want “completely free health care for all black and oppressed people.”[1] …
Health in the Hands of the People Read More
After you turned sixteen and your body came into its own and I said you looked voluptuous and your father said you were getting a bit broad in the beam; …
What Haven’t We Tried? Read More