National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week

http://www.invisibleillnessweek.com

September 14, 2009

Objective:
To increase awareness of invisible illness; that nearly 1 in 2 people in the US have a chronic illness and about 96% of it is invisible.

National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week is held annually in September and is a worldwide effort to bring together people who live with invisible chronic illness and those who love them.

A virtual conference in held at www.invisibleillnessweek.comand the blog is updated a few times a day during August and September.

Bloggers are welcome to participate anytime, but are encouraged to unite efforts during August and September to increase awareness online and share their experiences as well as encouragement. A badge is available that says you are blogging during the actual awareness week.

Organizations are encouraged to educate the general public, churches, healthcare professionals and government officials about the impact of living with a chronic illness that is not visually apparent.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Get the Badge

1. Right click on the badge to download
2. Link it back to this web site at this link:invisibleillnessweek.com
3. Then write your blog posting.
4. Come back to this web site OR invisibleillnessweek.comand let us know about your blog in the comments section. Tell us about it! Share your title, topic/description and link.

When to blog

1. You can blog at any time as we want people to know about this week during any time of the year. However, here are some tips.

2. Please post a blog on SEPTEMBER 14, 2009. We hope to have hundreds of blogs participate on this day!

3. Each day September 1 through Sept 20th we will be choosing a blog to feature on the Invisible Illness Week Blog. You will get loads of exposure, and we hope to also inform, educate, and encourage others.

A few ideas to write about

* Remember that not all of your posts have to have the “it’s so not fair” tone. Write your “best advice” to others who feel invalidated. How have you learned to get past the remarks people have made?

* Don’t forget families and what they also cope with when one of their members has an illness. And how is it being invisible easier/more difficult for them? For example, if Dad’s illness is invisible, does your son have to cope with his friends wondering why his Dad never participates in the father/son baseball game?

* Remember caregivers. Any thanks, thoughts?

* Remember all the aspects of living with invisible illness. Being a parent, a spouse, an adult child (who is maybe a caregiver too), a neighbor, etc.

* Don’t forget about all the kids who have illness too!

* Cancer can be considered an invisible illness, as are things like eating disorders, mental illness and the list goes on.

* Got others? Share them!

IMPORTANT: We hope to blow those Google Alerts apart on Sept 14th with blogs all over the internet posting about invisible illness issues. Remember that with most blogging programs you can even write it in advance and have your post published on September 8th.

Can you commit for us to blogging on September 14th on a topic about illness or invisible illness? We want to keep track, so please let us know by signing up here at Bloggers Unite.