National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week

Chronically Ill Find Effect Coping Tools During Invisible Illness Week Workshops

Free online seminars offer chronically ill a chance to attend a "virtual conference" from comfort of their own home.

 

San Diego, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 09/10/2008 -- Living with an illness that no one can see can be one of the most difficult parts of learning to effectively live with daily pain. “The lives of everyone around us are impacted by our level of pain on any given day,” says National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week founder, Lisa Copen. “Having an illness that is has unpredictable side effects hour to hour can put one on an emotional roller coaster, as well as cause his or her loved ones to sometimes doubt the severity of the illness.”

Twenty free online seminars this week, September 8-14, 2008, will help those with illness learn how to more efficiently manage their illness, including the emotions that come with it. Each 45-minute seminar will be live via Blog Talk Radio at www.invisibleillnessconference.com. Some of these include:

"Healthy Boundaries with a Chronic Illness" will be presented by Shelley Echtle, the director of the North Texas Fibromyalgia Support Group with over 200 members. She believes healthy boundaries in a healthy life are important, especially when you are chronically ill! Shelley suffers with fibromyalgia, spinal stenosis, hypothyroidism and arthritis. (Tuesday, Sept 9, 5:30 p.m., pacific)

"After the Diagnosis: The Journey Beyond" features Trish Robichaud. a Disability Awareness Coach, Maximum Life & Business Coach & Motivational Speaker. She lives with major depression and multiple sclerosis. She is joined by Jeff Cadwell, a Professionally Certified Life Coach, radio show host, speaker and author, who also lives with multiple sclerosis. (Thursday, Sept 11, 12 p.m. pacific)

"Get out of Bed!" is the presentation given by Linda Lundy, a Competition Cheer Judge/Instructor and cancer survivor. We’ve all had those days we want to just throw the covers back over our head, but Linda will motivate you to stay the course. She also lives with a pituitary adenoma; which brings with it fibromyalgia, a non-functioning thyroid, migraines, etc. She says, "I know how to put one foot in front of the other and keep going!" (Friday, Sept 12, 9 a.m. pacific)

All seminars will be hosted via Blog Talk Radio for forty-five minutes, and listeners can call in with questions during the last fifteen minutes. See dates and times for additional seminars at www.invisibleillness.com, which will be recorded and archived.

Many guests have donated free items or services, which will be given away in prize drawings. Bloggers are invited to participate by blogging on invisible illness topics September 8-12, 2008 and to download the “I’m blogging for Invisible Illness Awareness” badge from http://www.invisbleillnessblog.com .

National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week was launched in 2002 by Lisa Copen, author of “Beyond Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend.” It is held annually in September and is sponsored by Rest Ministries, Inc., the largest Christian organization that serve the chronically ill.