Tag Archives: personal

Lessons From My Mother

Posted on January 21, 2026 by Jennie Spotila

Eleven years ago today, my mother died. I can’t believe it’s been that long. Ten years ago, I wrote a list in my journal of some of the things she taught me. It was a brain dump, an attempt to … Continue reading →

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Encounters With The Invisible: 20 Years Later

Posted on June 13, 2025 by Jennie Spotila

The first memoir about ME that I ever read was Encounters with the Invisible: Unseen Illness, Controversy, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by Dorothy Wall, published in 2005. I remember thinking: if I were to ever write a book about this … Continue reading →

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Getting a Normal Result

Posted on October 25, 2024 by Jennie Spotila

It’s been a year since my breast cancer diagnosis. While I feel like I have finally recovered from treatment, that doesn’t mean my cancer experience is over. I am on medication to prevent a recurrence, and of course, I still … Continue reading →

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Hello, Stranger

Posted on September 27, 2024 by Jennie Spotila

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer last October, I had grand plans: I would blog through my surgery and whatever treatment followed. I was hungry for examples of other people with ME who had been through cancer treatment, especially … Continue reading →

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“I have cancer”

Posted on November 20, 2023 by Jennie Spotila

I told my husband last week, “It’s just as hard to tell people you have cancer as it is to find out you have cancer in the first place.” So, let me take a deep breath and say: I have … Continue reading →

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Posted on October 7, 2023 by Jennie Spotila

I got sick on October 6, 1994. Writing a memoir that spans almost three decades requires a lot of self-reflection, not only about what I’ve been through but about the choices I made, what I got wrong, and what I … Continue reading →

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Do We Ever Stop Counting?

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Jennie Spotila

I have been sick for twenty-seven years, today. My sickaversary gives rise to different feelings every year. Burdened. Triumphant. Heartsick. Contented. Marking the day, here with you or on my own, feels important. October 6th is the day my life … Continue reading →

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The Best Holiday Ever

Posted on November 23, 2018 by Jennie Spotila

Getting a puppy was not in the plan. My husband and I already had a dog (Fargo) and a cat (Lucas). The plan was for my parents to pick out a dog, and I just went along to help since … Continue reading →

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“It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.”

Posted on October 7, 2018 by Jennie Spotila

It’s been twenty-four years. Twenty-four years since the morning I woke up with a sore throat, went to work, and got so sick I could barely walk home. Twenty-four years since I became incurable. And this year, I hardly noticed. … Continue reading →

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Taking Care of Your Self

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Jennie Spotila

Self-care is one of those internet buzzwords that people casually throw around, as if a coloring book or a kitty will solve all your problems. I’m not knocking coloring books and kitties, but generally I think that kind of advice … Continue reading →

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