
- I’ve always had an interest in writing ever since I was little, and I hoped to get published. I originally thought it would be in the fiction genre. After graduating college two years ago, I became more involved with the diabetes online community. That’s when I realized I was seeing a lot of similar perspectives from parents and doctors talking about diabetes as if they were patients themselves. They tend to focus on positivity rather than talking about how difficult it can be to live with chronic conditions. It’s possible to still have a positive attitude while working through the challenges.
- The book is a coming-of-age story about life and battles with chronic illness and mental health. The main focus is on my thought process – looking back at what I was going through and how I was coping.
- I started writing it two years ago at the age of 22. My goal was to get all of the content done before I turned 24. I’m now in the editing phase and working on refining the content so it flows well. I am looking into publishing options and decided to self-publish because my content is fairly specific. It has been a learning process.
- My fundraising goal is about $4,000 to $5,000 and I’d like to be able to donate books to chronic disease, special needs and diabetes camps.
- I really want to be able to reach teenagers and their parents who struggle with chronic illness so that maybe parents can understand them a bit better and know that it’s not just teenage rebellion.
- Yes, but I notice most of it happening in the world around me. One of my favorite catch phrases is “check your privilege.” For example, I feel that I had privilege because I was able to start on a firm foundation with educated parents, and I am a straight, white, cisgender woman. When my dad passed away, my family’s financial status changed. Because I also lived in a small town, we always had to travel nearly two hours from our small town into Atlanta to visit a doctor. It wasn’t easy to receive the care I needed.
- Find someone who understands what you’re going through. That doesn’t mean you have to get involved with support groups or online, but just find one person you can talk to. It is a huge part of what helps me process and cope with my conditions. It’s also alright to have a bad day and hate the world occasionally. If you don’t admit this aloud to the world around you, at least admit it to yourself.