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CHRONICALLY
EMILY
Living with Chronic Illness since 1998
I'm Emily--dog lover, human, creator of community, advocate, fundraiser, Jew--and I live with invisible chronic illness. Join me in exploring and embracing the disability space and my life with ME/CFS, dysautonomia and related illnesses.
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Em of One
Mar 22, 20243 min read
Magical Thinking + Goodbye, Daisy
After I got sick, I'd wake up every morning thinking that maybe I'd feel better. That maybe my body would just up and start working...
319 views0 comments
Em of One
Jan 26, 20243 min read
Our Interabled Love Story
Chris and I first met on Bumble in April of 2023. I wasn't feeling very well, so I delayed our first date for three weeks. In the end,...
497 views1 comment
Em of One
Jan 26, 20241 min read
This is a Disability Blog? Where Do Ellie, Hank and Chris Fit?
This is a blog about disability right? As readers, you might wonder why I've chosen to write so much about Ellie. How does it fit with my...
317 views0 comments
Em of One
Jan 18, 20243 min read
Ellie: My Kindred Spirit + 18's
I can't stop thinking about the number 18. I met Ellie and Hank for the first time on October 22, 2023 at my Rowe's Research Runners...
262 views0 comments
Em of One
Jan 18, 20243 min read
One Month Later
I have a long list of tasks and to-dos, but I just need to spend the day being with Ellie. She loved to write as much as I did. As I...
193 views0 comments
Em of One
Jan 18, 20243 min read
New Grief, New Loss
Today marks one month to the day that my boyfriend's sixteen year old daughter passed away in her sleep sometime between the hours of 3...
302 views0 comments
Em of One
Jul 12, 20233 min read
Embracing Disability Pride Month: Proclamation and More!
July is Disability Pride Month, which is something I didn't really have on my radar until I became increasingly involved with the...
148 views2 comments
Em of One
Jun 26, 20234 min read
A Quarter Century Sick: Where Am I Now? (Part 1)
Each year, I spend time around my anniversary of getting sick/becoming disabled (June 18, 1998) giving myself some space to feel all of...
298 views0 comments
Em of One
May 21, 20234 min read
25 Years Later: Davidson's Enduring Gifts
This past week marked my 25th anniversary of my graduation from Davidson College. Next month will mark my 25th 'sickiversary'. In this...
284 views0 comments
Em of One
Feb 19, 20236 min read
When Your Elderly Mom is Your Caregiver
The woman in this photo is my almost 78 year old mother, who has been my primary caregiver since I first became disabled in 1998. That is...
364 views0 comments
Em of One
Feb 11, 20232 min read
A Snapshot: All In A Day (with Chronic Illness)
Chronic illness is often confusing, even for those of us who live with it. After 25 years, I still wonder how my body can be so...
278 views1 comment
Em of One
Feb 5, 20232 min read
We Made It! (+ Boom Goes the Chinese Balloon)
We are here! Another year in Sunset Beach, NC. This will be our 9th winter here since we first started snow-birding in 2013. (We missed...
206 views0 comments
Em of One
Jan 12, 20235 min read
Top 12 Books of 2022
5 Stars I don't usually write reviews on Goodreads, but here is what I wrote about The Girl with the Louding Voice: This book was...
148 views0 comments
Em of One
Jan 3, 20232 min read
2022: My Year of Books as Survival
It's only since I became chronically ill that I really began to love books. Growing up, I didn't read for pleasure, which always worried...
130 views2 comments
Em of One
Nov 20, 20225 min read
Ready to Roll? Maybe, Maybe not?
Since it's been a minute, let me bring you up to speed on the process of getting a new wheelchair as an ambulatory wheelchair user. Last...
218 views0 comments
Em of One
Aug 23, 20223 min read
A Wheelchair Update (With a Side of Microaggressions)
Last night while out for a StRoll with Mom, a castor completely fell off of my wheelchair. The tires are also kaput and no longer holding...
329 views0 comments
Em of One
Aug 4, 20222 min read
Embracing Identity, Expanding Impact
Last week, I wrapped up my time with my counselor. (Many tears were shed!). She is leaving for a new job. In our short time together...
180 views0 comments
Em of One
Jul 25, 20223 min read
How Ableism Lead Me to Embrace My Disability
I've spent the past year with a counselor who is trained as a social worker. Instead of approaching problems from a personal level, she's...
271 views1 comment
Em of One
Jul 3, 20224 min read
Apples to Oranges
I have a tendency to compare things that are not meant to be compared largely because, despite 24 years of disability, I still expect...
309 views0 comments
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