Tag: cystic fibrosis
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The Good of Ills #3: A Place of Rest
I’m sitting in hospital as I write this. For the last 10 years the odds of my words reaching you while holed up in a hospital were high. In fact let me share a hot writing tip with you; struggling to find a chance to focus and hit that deadline? Search out a quiet corner…
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The Good of Ills #2: Vulnerability is a superpower
Even as I type the title I feel uncomfortable: this lesson is easy to tell, less so to show. The value of vulnerability is a principle that a lot of us appreciate, in theory. That doesn’t mean we like how it feels. Over the course of 10 years working, I went from not declaring my…
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The Good of Ills #1: Sometimes you will get left behind
I am having a lot of sliding door moments these days. What would my life look like? …If I had applied to that job I badly wanted. If I hadn’t been afraid to try something physically demanding. If I had written that book when I said I would. If I hadn’t had that hospital admission…
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The Good of Ills: An Introduction.
My life is unrecognisable. Unrecognisably good. I start my day without a coughing fit. It’s a refreshing new normal.
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Tinder dates from a West London hospital
And now for something a little different. I’m writing a book, yup a real actual book with all the words in it. The working title is: Professional Sick Girl – The untold and unexpected lessons of a lifelong illness. Below is a short extract that explores some of the realities of luurve with a health condition.…
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Why we must talk about illness when it isn’t life or death
I want to take a minute to tell you why Professional Sick Girl exists. It’s true, I like to write; it’s my way of connecting with the world around me. But the reason I write about the things I do is to raise the profile of people with chronic illnesses, and the many different lives…
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How to plan a career when you’re predicted to die in 10 years
I felt guilty writing the title of this post. It’s not something I’d relish reading from a friend or loved one and I can only imagine what it’s like as a parent. But I think people reading this without lived experience of illness need to understand this feeling as much as they possibly can. I…
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The Jekyll and Hyde life
Hooo boy. Illness. It is quite the ice breaker at a party. When I meet a new person I like to tell them at least once that I have a life- threatening lung condition. Sometimes I like to chat about the four different types of broad-spectrum potent antibiotics I’m on at any one time. If…
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Travelling carefree and with a carry-on full of drugs
Previously I’ve written about working with a condition, amongst other aspects of life but I haven’t shared any travel stories. This is the first post in a series on travelling with chronic illness. Fresh out of school 10 years ago, I travelled to Cuba for two months to learn Spanish and fail at Salsa. I…
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A lesson in vulnerability
Or, that time I mentioned my wheezy-hamster-lungs in an interview. Unsurprisingly having a life-shortening illness can make you feel a tad vulnerable at times. It can also make you feel like a superhero when you defy the odds. But there’s one context that has always made me feel more vulnerable about having Cystic Fibrosis than…
Professionalsickgirl 