[#invisiblefight] 30 Things

As part of Invisible Illness Week, I wanted to share a relative snapshot of my illness and a bit of what the day to day is like. I can be particularly wordy (despite being a Twitter user ... those restrictive 140 characters), so it was hard to keep my responses to a minimum. But I did my best to not write a novel! (Novel writing is a task for November...)

The meme below is a II Week and Rest Ministries initiative. I tried to answer as candidly as possible, editing my responses in some places but trying to keep what first came to mind. If I were to fill this out tomorrow, I might give a different response -- all of them true. Every question is the tip of an iceburg.

I'd encourage you to fill one out for yourself and to read others' responses. They're little windows into a life that otherwise might remain, well, invisible.

[#invisiblefight] Invisible Illness Awareness Week 2015

September 28 through October 4 is Invisible Illness Awareness Week. Started in 2002 by Rest Ministries' founder Lisa Copen, it's an annual week devoted to raising awareness and supportive encouragement for the many around the world who are dealing with invisible chronic illnesses.

Last year was the first time I had heard about it, and since then I've been thinking about this year's initiative. What I look the most forward to aren't the facts, although those are helpful for educating myself and others about chronic illness. But it's really the personal stories that hit me, putting human faces and names to the seemingly-anonymous figures floating around in medical journals and in the media. And knowing a bit more about the struggles of those around me makes my own feel lighter.

This year's theme is My Invisible Fight. So, what is your fight? 

Or is your friend, family member, neighbor, colleague, labmate, or classmate in the midst of a fight that you might not know about? Maybe this is the time to find out -- or at least be willing to serve as an open ear and heart. You never know who might need it.

Check out the website, the Facebook page, and the blogs dedicated to the cause. I hope to be blogging next week to share a bit about my own fights. See you then!

3 years, or when enough is truly enough

Yesterday was a milestone of sorts.  Here is what I wrote:

///

Today is a funny kind of anniversary, bittersweet and strange.

A little over three years ago, I went to Sierra Leone and came back with malaria-like symptoms.

Exactly three years ago -- March 19th, 2012 -- I was nearly paralyzed by an unknown illness.  And it's been a long road since then.

In the beginning, I played the "what if" game.  What if I hadn't gone to West Africa?  What if I hadn't gotten sick?  What if I hadn't eaten that burrito (the mundane dinner I had that "fateful" night)?  What if I had just finished my thesis when I was supposed to instead of extending it one semester more?

Rounding up with a slice of pi(e)

Apple pie from Petsi Pies, true to the spirit of the day.

For some people, yesterday was simply Saturday, March 14th, the year 2015.

Here at MIT, where mathematical constants play a part in most people's everyday business, it was

Super Pi (π) Day

Day: 3.14.15

Time: 9:26:53

the first day in my generation's lifetime when we would celebrate ten digits of Pi, twice in a single day (if you count AM and PM).

The next one won't be for another 100 years, so I was among the many on campus and in the Boston area who made sure to celebrate well and indulge in pie in all forms -- from traditional fruit-filled pies to custardy cream ones to pizza pies and even shepherd's pie served in the dining hall (arguably not qualified for Pi Day given its non-round shape, but we're not picky around here).