Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness

This week is National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness week. Over at the Invisible Illness Week website, this means that they're having a virtual seminar featuring conference talks through Blog Talk Radio. It looks like the speakers will be discoursing on topics as varied as finding health insurance with a pre-existing condition, coping with chronic illness in the context of marriage, and building healthy boundaries.

There's also been a meme making the rounds called 30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know. You've probably seen it on your friends page several times already; I know I have. I hope that fact by itself has opened eyes to the fact that invisible illnesses are more prevalent than greater society seems to want to recognize.

I've decided to take part in the meme, just as I've previously decided to blog about my TMJD, because I believe it's important for invisible illness to be more visible. The only way to encourage compassion and prompt our society to change its attitude toward illness and the individual is to talk about the issues at hand and "normalize" them. I do not see my conditions as the largest defining features of my life, nor do I victimize myself due to them; however, they are an inextricable part of my existence and experience as a human being.

( 30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know )