Tag Archives: suffering

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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Enough

Posted on December 22, 2023 by Jennie Spotila

I’ve been waiting until I felt well enough to post about my breast cancer surgery and recovery, about the treatment I will begin in January. I have words to say about experiencing the healthcare system as a person with cancer … 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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29

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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A Million More, and Counting

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Jennie Spotila

Today is #MillionsMissing, a worldwide day of protest and awareness for the millions of people missing from their lives due to ME. We raise our voices on behalf of our own community, and also on behalf of our compatriots with … 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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#MillionsMissing Book Review: A Still Life

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Jennie Spotila

Today is #MillionsMissing, a day to raise awareness and make people with ME visible to the world. As part of the event, people with ME are sharing their stories on social media but instead of sharing mine I’m going to … Continue reading →

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Darkness and Light

Posted on December 21, 2020 by Jennie Spotila

Today is the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. It’s a time of darkness in a hard winter, but also a time of light as the sun begins to return. Perhaps it is fitting that I face the … 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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