Some advice for those days when things seem to be falling apart

Some advice for those days when things seem to be falling apart

A year ago Dermot and I were in Italy for our first holiday in a very long time. And in that moment it really felt like everything was falling into place. But we actually received some difficult news about 6 months later which made it feel as though one long-term goal would never materialise after all. I can’t deny that for some time I felt crushed. But now things seem to be falling into place again. The path to reaching this goal might turn out to be slightly different from the way we initially thought we would get there. But the beauty is that we’re going to get there and we’re so excited about it. And here’s some advice for those days when things seem to be falling apart.

Read More

Some advice and support to stay strong in hard times

Some advice and support to stay strong in hard times

Sometimes things happen that completely change the direction we thought our life was taking. At first it can be hard to accept. We end up asking “why” a lot. But I really believe that in time – even if we can’t see it now – some of the most difficult and unexpected situations still end up having a beautiful silver lining. Yet some days it might be hard to even think about the silver lining. Because that’s what life is: a rollercoaster of experiences and a rollercoaster of emotions. And here’s some advice and support to stay strong in hard times.

Read More

9 things I'm grateful for as I celebrate my 3rd birthday since the onset of my chronic illness

9 things I'm grateful for as I celebrate my 3rd birthday since the onset of my chronic illness

I wrote this blog post as I was celebrating my 32nd birthday, which was also my 3rd since the onset of my mysterious chronic illness. As it was also my 1st birthday since recovering fully through DNRS, I thought it was a good time to make a list of things I'm grateful for, since the whole journey made me realise how many things I took for granted before my illness started. So here’s my 32nd birthday gratitude list.

Read More

10 tips for tough times

10 tips for tough times

The past couple of months haven’t been the easiest as Dermot and I received some difficult news. Nothing we won’t get through, but quite challenging just the same. And while on the whole I feel I’ve been coping pretty well, there was actually a point this week when I thought I wouldn’t write a blog post this weekend because I just didn’t feel up to it. But then I decided it would be a good time to put down some tips for getting through tough times. I really hope my tips might help you even just a little bit if you’re going through a tough time also. Obviously all situations are different, but here are the 10 things which are really helping me get through this.

Read More

My parents' views on my journey and recovery

My parents' views on my journey and recovery

For this blog post I wanted a photo taken before my illness started. When it never even crossed any of our minds that difficult times might lie in store. And I don’t mean difficult times just for me. I always say that I believe it was actually worse for those around me. 5 months ago, I wrote about my journey through Dermot’s eyes. And because some of you had asked and because my parents walked with me through the storm in every way possible, here’s my journey and recovery from a chronic illness through my parents’ eyes.

Read More

Dermot's views on my journey and recovery

Dermot's views on my journey and recovery

After I published my open letter to Dermot, some of you asked me to also write about the experience from his point of view. This month we celebrated our second anniversary and I decided it was the perfect time to do so. So here it is: my journey and recovery from extreme food sensitivities, multiple chemical sensitivity and chronic fatigue syndrome through Dermot's eyes.

Read More

7 ways to support someone suffering from a mysterious chronic illness

7 ways to support someone suffering from a mysterious chronic illness

Knowing how challenging living with a mysterious chronic illness can be, I compiled this list of 7 ways that you can support someone suffering from such a condition. This list outlines what you can do to help someone in such a situation or if you yourself are suffering, you might find that the things that I found helpful might also be helpful for you.

Read More

Open letter to my husband as we approach our second anniversary

Open letter to my husband as we approach our second anniversary

In the 22 months that we've been married, Dermot has taught me the true meaning of the words "for better or for worse". This blog post is an open letter to thank him for supporting me through my experience with a mysterious and chronic illness and for holding my hand and walking with me through the storm.

Read More