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The Power of Blogging About Illness

May 21, 2013 in Anecdotes, Body Image, Featured, Health, People, Self, Society, Stories

I’ve been telling my story on my various blogs on and off for 12 years. It’s been seven years since I revealed my face on MySpace – since I’ve told my true story about Ichthyosis. And doing so has been the most empowering thing. I am a strong believer that blogging gives people a powerful voice that is heard. Many patients and parents of children with Ichthyosis have encountered stares, comments and hurt around their condition that has sometimes scarred their confidence and quietened their voices. Additionally, it is often perceived that because of a person’s visible difference, their life [...]

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Don’t Be Friendly or We’ll Take It the Wrong Way

May 13, 2013 in Gender, Human Rights, News, People, Society, Travel

I was casually scrolling through news.com.au one lunchtime, and came across an article entitled “Western women warned “friendliness’ confuses Indian men”. My first reaction was “huh?” which of course prompted me to read the article. In short, Indian men “often get the ‘wrong signal’ from female tourists who are simply being friendly”. Well that makes complete sense… In this day and age, women are constantly being told they can’t do things. We can’t expect to earn the same as men. We can’t expect to be treated with respect in our chosen career. We can’t expect other women to accept us [...]

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What To Say (And Not) To Someone With An Invisible Illness

May 13, 2013 in Health, People, Self, Society, Work

A lot of people suffer from many forms of Invisible Illness, including but not limited to CFS, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, TMJ disorder, Cushing’s Syndrome, Ulcerative Colitis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, MS, Anxiety and Depression. Many of these conditions are related to a malfunctioning immune system. Mine is faulty, bordering on being totally incapable of defending itself from illness. I have Fibromyalgia which includes a diagnosis of Chronic Pain. I am a high school teacher and love my job. Unfortunately due to my health and its unpredictability, I work part time. I find it hard to commit to social engagements because [...]

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My Child has Osteogenisis Imperfecta and an Unbreakable Spirit

May 10, 2013 in Anecdotes, Children, Family, Health, Mothers, Parenting, Relationships, Stories

Imaging looking at your newborn baby. Their tiny lips their long figures That cute button nose. Now imagine being told to limit the amount of times you hold your baby. That every time you pick him up you need to carefully plan every aspect in handling him or you could seriously injure him. That’s what life is like with a baby born with Osteogenisis Imperfecta. Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI, sometimes known as brittle bone disease, or “Lobstein syndrome”) is a congenital bone disorder. People with OI are born with defective connective tissue, or without the ability to make it, usually because of [...]

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What Do You Do to Relax?

May 8, 2013 in Books, Entertainment, Film & TV, Health, Lifestyle, Mental Health

What sort of stuff do you do when you need to relax? As I was pulling together my thoughts for this article I started thinking about things I do in my spare time or what I do for fun, but they’re not exactly the same thing, are they? In my spare time I might do housework (not relaxing for me) or go on social media (which is fun, but not relaxing). I find playing Dungeons & Dragons great fun, but not relaxing, as it’s a fairly intense creative experience. So what I’m asking is not what you do for fun, [...]

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Video: The Child Abuse Message Aimed at Children

May 7, 2013 in Children, Current Affairs, Health, Human Rights, News, Parenting

This video demonstrates a new anti-child abuse advertisement which contains a hidden message for children. When viewed from an adult’s height the image shows a sad child and the message “Sometimes child abuse is only visible to the child suffering it” but when viewed from a child’s height, or anyone under 4 foot 5 inches tall, the image shows a bruised child and the additional message “If somebody hurts you, phone us and we’ll help you” with the phone number. A really powerful message, a great idea and a wonderful way to reach children while they’re standing with the person [...]

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Too Fat? Too Thin? The Great Weight Debate

May 6, 2013 in Body, Body Image, Health, Mental Health, Nutrition, Style

With Fashion Week in full swing, there is a lot of focus in the media on body shapes, weight, and ultimately the impact this has on body image and eating disorders. Models are being criticised for being too thin, unhealthy role models etc. With the statistics of eating disorders on the rise, and “90 per cent of young people in Australia and around the world unhappy with their weight and shape” (The Daily Telegraph), I’m not surprised at this outrage and support to change modelling standards. Butterfly Foundation’s CEO Christine Morgan in an interview on the Today Show likened the fashion industry to “drug [...]

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NDIS: It Could Happen To You

May 3, 2013 in Current Affairs, Health, Human Rights, News, Politics

The NDIS has come front and centre this week. And so it should. God know it’s hard enough on disabled people and their families, without the additional worry of how they will manage financially. When you see comments like this (responding to this article by Stella Young): Ashley of Darwin Posted at 5:51 PM April 30, 2013 $22,000 for a wheelchair? Really? a basic wheelchair? A brand new car can be bought for less… If you want all the bells and whistles you can stump the cost of it yourself. The government should only assist you getting the minimum you require to be mobile. Or The department store [...]

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Recipe: Allergy Friendly Chocolate Cake

May 2, 2013 in Children, Food & Recipes, Health, Lifestyle, Nutrition

It’s birthday season in our house. Well three from five birthdays are in May so it’s most definitely at the top of my mind. Last year we had a guest at the kids’ party who had dairy and egg allergies and I must admit I initially had a bit of a stress about it. However I’m not one to back down for a culinary challenge and when you break it down it’s actually not as bad as you may think. Here are a few tips and ideas if you have to cater for those with allergies. Of course check with [...]

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28 Is My Scary Age

May 2, 2013 in Gender, Health, Parenting, People, Pregnancy & Birth, Self

When I was 18 years old I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and told I may have difficulty when I came to trying for kids. Up until then kids had been a footnote in the plan I had for my life. I was happily cruising along, fresh out of high school with a steady (dickhead) boyfriend, planning to head into modelling, acting, singing and all the rest of it. So the doctor looks me straight in the eyes, ”This does not mean you will never have kids, but for your best shot you should have the first one before you [...]

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