About “A Chronic Voice” & Its Aim
Hello, my name is Sheryl and welcome to my blog, “A Chronic Voice”. I come from the hot and humid island of Singapore, but spent my childhood in Hong Kong. I live with multiple chronic illnesses and autoimmune disorders, primarily:
My aim with 'A Chronic Voice' through this blog and various channels is to raise awareness about lifelong illnesses from various perspectives. Every patient, illness and how they experience pain is different. There is no single technique or approach to managing these symptoms, but every tool in the toolbox helps. I also want to encourage empathy amongst all facets of society and not just within healthcare. Here's one of my favourite excerpts by Luca Turin which sums it up:
“Metaphor is the currency of knowledge. I have spent my life learning incredible amounts of disparate, disconnected, obscure, useless pieces of knowledge, and they have turned out to be, almost all of them, extremely useful. Why. Because there is no such thing as disconnected facts. There is only complex structure. And both to explain complex structure to others and, perhaps more important – this is forgotten, usually – to understand them oneself, one needs better metaphors.”
Where Else You Can Find Me on the Internet:
*Disclaimer: This article is meant for educational purposes, and is based on my personal experiences as a patient. I am not a doctor, and nothing in this article should be substituted for medical advice. Please consult your own doctor before changing or adding any new treatment protocols. This post may also contain affiliate links. It will cost you nothing to click on them. I will get a small referral fee from purchases you make, which helps with the maintenance of this blog. Read our Privacy Policy page for more information. Thank you!
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For Caregivers
It isn’t always easy to articulate chronic illness, because we look fine on the outside for the most part. I would like to open a window into our thoughts, so that light may flow both ways. There are many unsung caregivers in the background who try their best to be supportive. Yet you may still feel inadequate, and struggle to understand what it is that your loved ones really need. It is my hope that you gain some useful insight, through the details of our collective experiences here.
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For Medical Researchers & Doctors
It is the hope of I and many others that doctors will listen to their patients beyond the physical symptoms. Chronic illnesses tend to span across various medical departments. This makes the patient-doctor and even doctor-doctor collaboration crucial. Collective knowledge is power, and I hope that some of the experiential data here will be useful in the search for solutions.
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For Myself
I find writing in itself cathartic. It forces me to pay attention, to be mindful. It also forces me to reveal my ‘weaknesses’, which is something I detest. But I want to learn how to be comfortable saying ‘I need help’, because at the end of the day, we all do. And to be truly well in every sense of the word, I have to stop denying myself of what I need.
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For Those with Chronic Illness and/or Disability
Finally, I want to let the many others who are suffering out there know that they are not alone. I hope that you take comfort through this solidarity, and find the strength to be human once more.
It is not that easy to die. (This sentence is an unspoken code for those who have suffered greatly - you know what I mean :) )
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Thank You & Come be a Part of the Chronic Illness Community
Thank you for taking the time to be here. If you have any questions or topics you would like to discuss, feel free to let me know in the comments below. Don't forget to sign up for our mailing list to stay in touch. You will also receive a beautiful illustrated e-book along with it!
I am also active on social media, where I share more stories, and interact with those who live with other chronic illness and disabilities. You can connect with me on: Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook & Pinterest.
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You can also support my writing and website here. It costs at least $100 to keep the blog running, and to do some basic advocacy work with some measure of efficiency. Every cup of coffee helps to keep me going - thank you so much! :)