A beautiful red Lily. Title reads: Creating a retreat away from my own bedroom, personal update.

Creating A Retreat Away From My Own Bedroom

Everyday there seems to be something new in the garden. It’s constantly changing. I try to take a walk through the house daily, so I can look out the windows and see the different parts of our garden, it doesn’t always happen, but it’s a goal. ​And I’ve been careful to stay out of direct sunlight, shading my eyes better this week, after my sun-induced crash ​recently. Looking Back On The Past Week I’ve spent much of this week in…

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ME Warrior living with ME since the age of 18. Brittany Lachapelle shares her story. Photo of Brittany lying in hospital wearing a hospital gown.

ME Warrior Of The Week: Brittany, Living With M.E. Since She Was 18 Years Old

I’m Brittany. I have suffered with ME since September 2013. It started 2 weeks before my 19th birthday. I was a University student studying psychology and linguistics, working a part time job at a restaurant and had a booming social life. One morning I woke up and felt that something was very wrong, I blamed it on exhaustion and not taking care of myself… I thought it would go away in a day or two, 6 years later it’s still…

Read MoreME Warrior Of The Week: Brittany, Living With M.E. Since She Was 18 Years Old
ME warrior overcoming stigma and disbelief. Emma shares her story. Emma wearing a red Millions Missing shirt, with oxygen tube in her nose.

ME Warrior Of The Week: Emma, Overcoming Stigma And Disbelief

In this new series I will be sharing ​stories from our beautifully resilient ME community. These chronic illness warriors are not only battling crippling symptoms everyday as they adjust to life with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, but are also finding ways to continue dreaming, creating beauty and supporting each other, ​despite their ​debilitating illness. I hope their stories will help you better understand ​this life-altering condition, raise awareness and eliminate the stigma that still surrounds ME. Emma’s ME Story ​I started becoming…

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Title reads My chronic illness Story, How it all started and how you can help, by Chronically Hopeful, Picture of Char lying in bed under blankets, shes in an ME flare wearing sunglasses and headphones

My Chronic Illness Story: How I Became Housebound With Severe M.E.

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​May is ME Awareness Month and once again I am participating in the ​virtual campaigns online to help raise awareness of this life-destroying illness called Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. Today I’m sharing my story. How did I become so terribly ill and housebound? When did it happen? And how long did I have to wait for a diagnosis? Here’s my ME story: I had a very busy and active life, teaching, going to church and Bible studies, tutoring and babysitting after hours…

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Title reads, Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind, How can the church better serve the chronically ill? Picture of Shona Smith, she has short grey hair, wears glasses and is smiling. Guest post by Shona Smith. pin by Chronically Hopeful

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind: How Can The Church Better Serve The Chronically Ill?

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​Today I am sharing a guest post by Shona Smith. I must admit, I have mixed feelings about ​this topic, but it is an important issue and needs to be addressed. I​t is not just a few isolated cases, pastoral care in the church is something that is in desperate need of an overhaul. ​This shouldn’t be an issue, but sadly it is and Shona is working hard to find solutions.   ​I hope you do not relate to our…

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#MillionsMissing Personalised poster for ME awareness. How to get your own millions missing poster

Get Your Own Personalised Millions Missing Poster For ME Awareness Month

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May is #MEAwarenessMonth and I thought, since many of us cannot go to the live #MillionsMissing events in person, I’d like to help my fellow people with ME (pwME) to raise awareness online by offering you personalised Millions Missing posters!  Personalised Millions Missing Posters! Here are a few examples of what they look like. Scroll down to find out how to get your own You are welcome to share these images online or print them out to display at events.…

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Title reads, Celebrating Life despite chronic pain and Osteoporosis, Interview with Lynley. Below is a photo of a lady wearinga blu dress, sitting in a power chair at the beach with the sea in the background,pin by Chronically Hopeful

Celebrating Life Despite Chronic Pain And Osteoporosis – A Day In The Life Of Lynley

​​Today I am excited to share Lynley’s story. She has been living with chronic pain and osteoporosis for years and is sharing how her life has changed and how she not only gets through, but celebrates life despite her conditions. ​This interview is part of an ongoing series where ​warriors from around the world ​​share their struggles and victories as they navigate life with various chronic illnesses and invisible disabilities.​ I hope you will be encouraged and perhaps even find…

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Title reads Health and fitness the week I fell ill with severe ME. Photo of Char and friends walking in a park wearing pink fluffy bunny ears and carrying green balloons. By Chronically Hopeful

Health And Fitness: A Week Before I Fell Ill With Severe Chronic Illness

​Ironically my life was super busy and active during the weeks and months ​before the onset of what lead to my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome diagnosis. There seems to be the general belief that we are tired or lazy or that we have some sort of unhealthy aversion or fear of exercise, but nothing could be further from the truth! As we move towards ME Awareness Month (May), ​I wanted to share some of my health and fitness memories from the…

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Brenna is wearing a black top, she has long curly brown hair and is looking to the side. on the right the title reads A day in my life with POTS, MCAD, Gastro Paresis and More. Interview with Brenna by Chronically Hopeful

Living With POTS, Gastroparesis, MCAD And More – A Day In The Life Of Brenna

​Today I am ​excited to share ​Brenna’s chronic illness story with you. She is a creative warrior who has been battling​ a multitude of chronic conditions including POTS, Gastroparesis, MCAD and many more for over a decade. This interview is part of an ongoing series where we meet spoonie warriors from around the world ​who share their struggles and victories as they navigate life with various chronic ​conditions ​​or invisible disabilities.  I hope this series will encourage you and perhaps…

Read MoreLiving With POTS, Gastroparesis, MCAD And More – A Day In The Life Of Brenna
The word Love lettered with while pen on pink paper. Pens lying around the picture on the table. Title reads, Art gallery, paintings, lettering and drawings from Feb 2019

Chronically Hopeful Art: Paintings, Lettering And Drawings From Feb 2019

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​This is the first in a new series of posts where I will share all the art I have worked on for the month. I hope to be consistent with it, but life with a chronic illness is anything but consistent, so don’t hold me to it. I am very grateful, though, that this month has been quite productive creatively and I am so pleased with the pieces that I have made. I hope you enjoy this little gallery too.…

Read MoreChronically Hopeful Art: Paintings, Lettering And Drawings From Feb 2019
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Feet in a bath tub, water moving. Title reads Shakes and Tremors with ME/CFS. Myalgic Encephalomyeitis causes visible body tremors.
Shaking And Trembling With ME/CFS
Char's bare leg full of itchy bumps. Title reads: How I'm managing histamine intolerance. Eliminating the itching, rashes and hives.
Histamine Intolerance: Reducing The Itching, Rashes And Hives
Woman with her hands in her hair, she looks frustrated. Title reads: Our house is infested with teeny, tiny white bugs. TIny mites that look like specks of dust moving around.
What Are These Teeny, Tiny White Bugs All Over My House And How To Get Rid Of These Little Mites?
A lady with bed head, looking exhausted. Tital reads, Are you a chargie or a spoonie? Both analogies for chronic exhaustion explained.
Are You an Unchargeable or a Spoonie?