Hello online followers-
Its been a long time since I've posted, and I've been dealing with my own health issues. As a patient, I am continually reminded of what a journey of learning it is when dealing with chronic illness. As soon as you think you have learned a lesson or mastered a skill, you get another opportunity to learn it again in a new way. I am happy to say that I am out of the hospital and have a new appreciation for the little things, and the baby steps of progress I am making.
But enough about me...I wanted to pass along some inspiration that I ran across this week. The first is an inspiring local teen from Park Ridge, IL, who has chronic pain from a connective tissue disorder. She is 17 years old and started a non-profit that gives strangers a chance to make a card for a child who is in the hospital. Check out her website to see what all she has done so far and how to make a card for someone who needs one. Small ways to reach out really do make a big difference.
The second story is about our good friends at Girls With Guts, a non-profit helping those with Inflammatory Bowel Disease or Ostomies. They have a new outreach program where people who have their ostomies reversed can donate any new, unused ostomy products. These will then be given to new ostomates who may need help with the cost of supplies. This is a brilliant idea and I am so inspired by this organization's continued creativity to meet the needs they see around them. If you don't already do so, read their blog or follow them on Facebook.
I hope everyone has a happy and healthy weekend (and 2013 for that matter)! Its good to be back in the swing of things.
Cheers,
Steph