Archive for the 'Talking about it' Category
Phyl Rubin is talking but not about furniture. Phyl and Bernie own a New England furniture store chain. No, Phyl is talking about a secret she’s kept for 40 years: living with multiple sclerosis.
40 years of silence? Why? She didn’t have to worry about losing her job or a demotion. Did she think it would [...]
Living with chronic illness can leave even the toughest person feeling vulnerable. You just wish that other people could “get it”, don’t you?
I know from personal experience how hard this is in a marriage (How a Marriage Survives When One Person Gets Sick, MORE Magazine) . And marriage is all about the relationship, where two [...]
Misery loves company
When I was young and the only one I knew with bad health, I felt like the rotten apple in a bowl of healthy fruit. It didn’t matter where I was – at work, with family or with friends. No one could relate. I worried that my “bruises” made me stand out and unappealing.
But now [...]
Take a minute to ask someone, anyone: “Do you know what the Americans with Disabilities Act is?” Most likely you’ll hear Yes.
Now ask, “What does the ADA do?” Maybe you’ll hear that it protects people with disabilities from discrimination. Funny how many people, with and without disabilities, know about this Act but don’t really [...]
I’m delighted. Last week, beloved Boston Red Sox commentator, Jerry (“Remdog”) Remy spoke “on air” about living with chronic illness. Explaining to Boston fans that lung cancer (treated last fall) was tough, he said it’s depression that’s keeping him from working since April. What followed was a frank a description about what it’s like to [...]
FYI – If you tried to “comment” recently and couldn’t, that’s fixed now!
Two chronic issues for people with chronic illness who are job interviewing are: disclosure and employment gaps.
In this post, I’ll discuss disclosure. I’ll cover employment gaps next time.
Disclosure centers on 3 big questions:
Should I say it?
What should I say?
What is [...]
Most of us find that other people can be clueless about what it’s like to live with a chronic illness. It makes sense since this is invisible, unpredictable and often debilitating. It’s hard enough to explain this to your friends and family. It’s even more difficult to explain to co workers who only know you [...]
Did you know that May 10 was World Lupus Day? May is Lupus Awareness Month — and there is also multiple sclerosis month, breast cancer month, etc.?
Anyone else think that there’s something odd with the fact that we have to dedicate a day or month to create attention to DISEASE that so many live with?
I [...]
Recently I experienced, yet again, how hard it is to work and live with waxing/waning chronic illness.
And this just reinforces why I think that that working is the smartest thing I can do for myself.
When we traveled to California to visit friends, I knew it would tire me. The time change and long flight [...]
Your health isn’t a sound byte
Have you noticed how often you’re greeted with, “Hi, how are you?” (or “Hey, how ya’ doin’?”), depending on the circles you travel in)?
Today I counted 18 times so far and it’s only 4:00pm. I’m working alone and only left the office for one brief errand. Do you work in an office with [...]
