Notice: This contest is closed for judging - November 1, 2005. But if you stumbled in after that, we welcome your entry. We will be holding this contest again and rewarding entries - probably after January, 2006.



September 12-18 was National invisible Chronic Illness Awareness week. I didn’t see much locally or on the Internet geared toward making people understand chronic illnesses or chronic pain. Even our local fibromyalgia/chronic pain support group didn’t have any activities scheduled to help the public learn about our daily ordeals. That got me to thinking that it is our job as individuals suffering chronic pain or illnesses to at least make our friends and family aware of those daily struggles.

Recently, one of my nieces was diagnosed with Hypermobility Syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. She had been an active kid, playing softball and taking dancing lessons. But as she entered puberty and her teen years, pain and dislocated joints became a major problem. Before being diagnosed, she was often accused by teachers and peers of just not wanting to participate in scheduled functions. After her diagnosis, she wrote a letter to friends and family about her maladies and how they affect her life now and how they might affect her life in the future. I was impressed by her maturity and her acceptance of her situation, but also with her proactive way of dealing with the disorders and with the reactions of friends and family. Later, I discovered similar letters to "normals" throughout the Internet, especially ones written by fibromyalgia sufferers.

Suddenly, an idea for a contest developed in my head. Do you suffer a disability, chronic pain or chronic illness? If so, have you ever endeavored to explain your life and what you can and cannot do to friends and family in the form of a letter? If not, now is the time.

Here are the rules:

1) You must have a disability, chronic illness or chronic pain.

Update 9/22/05: Some have asked if having been abused by other persons qualifies as a chronic "illness". I think it does. If your heart and soul - and body - have been injured by someone, it often takes a long time to heal. Sometimes it requires trips to doctors or therapists and medication. So if you're in this category, yes you may certainly enter this contest.


2) Your entry must be written in the form of a letter to friends and family. Bitems are preferred, but if you haven’t been upgraded and your portfolio is full, you can enter the item itself. (In that case, please be short and concise.)

3) The first 50 entries will each receive 100 gift points just for entering.

4) The deadline for this contest is November 1, 2005. Since many of us suffer pains that keep us away from the computer for days at a time, that should be plenty of time.

5) After submitting your own letter, please read and review at least five other submissions. That is also part of the contest. Please make a second entry indicating which other submissions you read and reviewed.

6) I know that being in pain can make us grumpy, but let’s keep postings and submissions to E, ASR.



Winners will be announced on December 1, 2005, giving me plenty of time to read between pain and holiday schedule conflict.







Here is a link for a "letter to normals." http://www.wearefmily.com/normals.htm

And here’s an interesting explanation of the life of a lupus patient. It isn’t written in the form of a letter, but it’s still a great explanation. http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/spoons.htm









If you are close to someone with a disability or chronic illness and already understand his/her life, here's a contest for you too:

ID: 1013989   (Rated: ASR) I Get It!  Do you really understand your loved one's disability/illness? This contest is for you. by Kenzie