Tag Archives: stress

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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Compassion

Posted on November 25, 2020 by Jennie Spotila

I have spent a lot of time reflecting on compassion this year. It’s been impossible not to, as I read the news each day. 2020 has been–well, it’s been 2020. I have felt such anger and frustration at the lack … Continue reading →

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I’ve Missed You

Posted on August 17, 2019 by Jennie Spotila

I’ve missed you, my lovelies! I dropped off the grid for awhile in hopes of making progress on my book. I wrote some words. I also saw some beautiful things, and visited beloved friends and family. My husband and I … Continue reading →

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Drinking From A Fire Hose

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Jennie Spotila

News is coming at the ME community at a crazy pace right now. Each time I go online, there is another controversial article that requires a response. First there was the NPR chronic pain piece and ensuing debacle. Then came … 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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How To Be Sick . . . Again!

Posted on October 2, 2018 by Jennie Spotila

Toni Bernhard has just published a second edition of her classic How To Be Sick, or as I like to call it: The Book That Will Make You A Better Human. I have relied on How To Be Sick since … Continue reading →

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